The Melancholy Spirit: A Soul Eater Fanfic
by Lonelyphantom021
Summary: The protagonist of this tale is an OC who 4 years ago suffered a devastating loss. However along the way he meets someone special who might help ease his pain. Will this end ideally, or will he once again descend into the abyss of sorrow and despair? I revised and republished a new rendition of this story. Please bear with me. I do NOT own Soul Eater nor any lyrics or quotes cited.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

" _Am ende bleib ich doch alleine, die Zeit steht still, und mir ist kalt"_

Rammstein "Seemann"

"Vlad! Don't let me die in vain. Please avenge me Vlad!" While those words echoed in my ears, I futilely attempted to will myself up to my feet again. I already lost excessive amounts of blood, and struggled with remaining conscious. The last thing I saw before descending into unconsciousness was a dagger being driven into her chest as she stretched her right hand out to me, and a stream of tears cascading down her eyes. I too tried to reach out to her, but my efforts were in vain. While my vision faded to black, I was able to hear a whimper followed by malevolent cackling.

It has been 4 years since she screamed those words to me, and although I avenged her death, those accursed words, to this very day, continue to haunt me. Even that look of despair in her eyes torments me, and robs me of any peace I've longed for. Four years have passed since she perished, and her screams, that stare, and my scars still remind me of my failure to protect her. All I do now to seek reprieve from the past is drink and drink some more. Based on how much of it I do, you'd think I was a bike gang member, or a volatile sailor who swears and brawls just as much as he drinks. Truth be told, I'm a demon weapon, a Death Scythe, and a former student of the DWMA.

My partner, Sareena Engel, and I, were an ideal team; she was my Meister, and I her trusted weapon. Together her and I annihilated countless pre-kishiins, witches, and other threats that Lord Death himself wished to be neutralized. Aside from being two respected students, partners, and good friends, her and I above all else harbored an amorous bond. If you walked up and asked Sid, Naigus, Marie, Spirit, Stein, whoever, they can verify that her and I were inseparable. She radiated with innocence and beauty, and was a pious scholar with whom I shared countless discussions on varying topics, some which spanned all through the night. We fought side by side for five years, and we scarcely struggled in completing our missions. However all that forever changed, and to my everlasting shame, I woefully remained alive rather than dying by her side or in her stead.

"Hey, buddy! I'm cuttin' ya off." My brooding thoughts were interrupted as I looked up from my empty glass to the bartender. "Look, I think you've had enough, pal. Seriously, just get out and sleep it off alright?" With a false merry smile I pushed my glass towards him, and in a calm voice told the gentleman: "Kindly refill my glass before the house special becomes your fucking blood." His stern look immediately vanished upon hearing my potential promise and he hurriedly refilled my glass with more rum. I merely chuckled in satisfaction, raised my glass to him and said with a wicked grin before downing my grog: "Much obliged, sir. Bottoms up."

I finished my drink, put the glass on the counter, and pulled out a handful of bills to leave the now timid bartender. "Here, for dealing with my bullshit, " I said. He looked at the pile and asked me with a look of surprise, "Are you serious about handing me all this?" I merely nodded as I turned towards the exit while putting on my trench coat. Upon exiting the bar, I lifted up the collar of my coat, put a cigarette in my mouth, lit it, and began to walk into the dark embrace of night.

 **Hello everyone, this is the Lonelyphantom 21. I want to sincerely apologize, but I wasn't sure how to properly revise and republish the original rendition of the story. So I ended up deleting the original so I can republish this newly redone one. I promise that a new chapter is in the works, and will be published soon. It's been difficult finding sufficient time to write while managing a full-time job, finishing schoolwork and making plans to move overseas. Thanks for the patience and appreciation of this tale.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

" _Vem är du? Jag är Döden"_

The Seventh Seal 1957

Now that a brief glimpse into mine and my partner's past has been revealed, allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Vladimir Blutmesser, I'm 20 years old and I'm possibly one of the most introverted and morbid individuals one could cross paths with. At least, things weren't always that way. However since my Meister's passing, my persona has altered. Before that, I was lively, high-spirited, and frequently jubilant. Since then, I've become cynical, brooding, and full of dark humor. I don't know if it's my altered personality, or what the reason is, but now people tend to avoid me like the plague. Yet aside from the shift in my demeanor, I've remained mostly the same appearance wise. Last I checked; I was still tall, slender, pale as a ghost, with multiple piercings, raven black hair, and gray eyed. My tendency to frequently wear black still exists by the way. In fact, I'm donning my routine attire: a long sleeve shirt underneath a military waistcoat, jeans, steel toe boots, and a pair of leather, fingerless gloves.

The only physical changes that have taken place after four years are the scars that run along the left side of my body, the one over my eye, and some tattoos I've acquired. The first one, which is on my back, is of a longsword piercing into a human skull. My second one is on my right bicep: it's that of the crescent moon with its sinister grin. That one I got because of how often Sareena joked and commented on me being nocturnal. The third is on my other bicep, and it's the logo of the DWMA. Along my left forearm is a black coffin with a scarlet colored skull. Lastly, on the center of my chest, is a tribute to my Sareena. It's a raven flying next to a dove and they're both holding a skeleton key in their beaks. Often times I deliberately keep my tattoos covered, but every now and then they're exposed for others to see.

As for my weapon form, I transform into a Zweihänder longsword. Thanks to my fairly tall stature, I turn into a nearly 6 foot tall double-edged blade. My blade is lustrous, as is the pommel which is in the shape of a skull. The cross guard is pitch black along with the handle which is wrapped in leather. On the sides of the cross guard are silver side rings that provide protection to the wielder. For extra defense, along the blade are two protruding hooks that are meant to catch an opponent's weapon. According to Lord Death, I am the first and only known Zweihänder to become a Death Scythe.

So now you have a better understanding of who and why I'm the way I am. If you're still listening and interested, I will now begin to tell my tale of how someone lingered into my life which exponentially altered my once bleak outlook on my existence.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sometime on a gray and cloudy day, I awoke to find a letter addressed to me by Professor Stein, and Marie. In it, they both requested me to meet them, Justin, Spirit, Sid, and Lord Death in the Death Room as soon as possible. At first I seemed reluctant to oblige considering I hadn't spoken to anyone of them in years, but I still felt I had a moral obligation to assist and serve Lord Death since my absence. Yet before I'd leave to meet my former colleagues, I deemed it best to shower, change, and brush my teeth before heading anywhere near the Death Room.

I arrived at the base of the steps that lead into the academy just as students were flocking inside. I stopped before ascending the staircase to light a cigarette before I made my way up. I gazed at my cigarette as I took a long drag and looked up to see a handful of students. A group of whom, stood out among the rest. A pig-tailed blonde carrying a freakishly thick book, a white-haired dude with a sharp-toothed grin, and a black-haired lanky guy walking with two girls behind him. I began to walk up the stairs, and they did as well. I could hear their conversation about how they weren't looking forward to yet another dissection directed by Professor Stein. Upon hearing their whining, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Trust me guys, I know too well how you feel. I muttered under my breath" What I didn't expect was for Miss Pig-tails to overhear what I said, because she whipped around and glared at me for what I said. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation? And who are you anyway?"

After she asked who I was, I snuffed out my cancer stick before introducing myself to the group before me. "Yeah, I heard what you were talking about. I said I know how you guys feel, because I too had to endure Stein's repetitive dissection labs. As for –." I was about to state my name, but was interrupted by the black-clad gentleman... "Wait. You were a student at the DWMA?" I eyed each of them as I continued: "Yes, several years ago I was a student at the academy. Not only am I a former student, but you are looking at and speaking with a Death Scythe." It didn't require a brain surgeon to tell that their expressions indicated feelings of surprise and shock at what I just told them.

After a few moments of silence, I cleared my throat and continued: "Anyway, if you will excuse me, I must be on my way. I have a meeting with Lord Death and I don't want to keep him waiting. Have a good day, and good luck with the dissections." I didn't even begin going up the stairs before one of them interrupted my departure: "Wait! What's your name anyway? You never told us" I turned around and again made eye contact with each of them before speaking. "My name is Vlad, Vladimir Blutmesser."

The pig-tailed blonde then spoke: "I'm Maka Albarn, and I'm a Meister. I'm sure you know my dad? Spirit Albarn?" I looked at her with surprise. _This girl is the daughter of that lecherous pervert?_ I thought. In any case I nodded courteously and commented on the book she was carrying. "The Divine Comedy's my favorite book by the way." She and the guy in black looked at me and asked: "You like to read too?" I nodded in reply and cited one of my favorite quotes: "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." She smiled and proceeded to introduce the rest of her friends: "This is Soul Eater Evans. He's my partner and also a Death Scythe." I approached him and stuck my hand out to shake his hand but he instead high-fived my open hand. Rather than make something of the gesture, I grinned at his laid back character.

"The guy to my right is Death the Kid," she continued. I glanced in his direction and he stuck his hand out first. I mirrored his gesture and we shook hands. "It's a pleasure to meet the son of Lord Death himself," I said. "And I'm pleased to meet a Death Scythe," he said in reply. I then proceeded to shake hands and courteously greet his two weapon partners, Liz and Patty. Once the introductions were finished I said my farewells once more and began my ascension up the steps when I heard shouting coming from above. "YAAAAHHOOOOO!" I looked up to see a blue-haired Neanderthal standing atop one of the spike structures protruding from the school. "Behold, you lowly peasants, the real god of Death City! I am Black Star the greatest assassin who ever lived, and you all have the honor to witness – " The moron would've kept rambling, however the tip of the structure began to crumble, broke and came falling down along with him. He screamed as he fell towards the ground, but landed on his feet. Just watching the whole spectacle undoubtedly made my morning, and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Apparently I wasn't alone because Soul joined in. "Oh how the mighty have fallen", he said. His joke earned him a Maka Chop and the ridicule from Liz and Patty, while Kid began to berate and reprimand Black Star for "ruining the school's symmetry for the 3rd time in a year." I didn't stay to watch the circus, but merely giggled as I entered the school.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

" _I see you, and everything around you fades..."_

In This Moment T _he Promise_

I eventually entered the school and began navigating through the halls of the academy. I checked my phone to see what time it was. When I saw I was running 10 minutes later than anticipated, I sighed and muttered a string of curse words as I quickened my pace through the halls towards the Death Room. While absentmindedly bolting, and making left and right turns, I heard over the P.A. System: "Tsubaki please come to the school grounds entrance. Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, again, to the courtyard." I disregarded the announcement and rounded a corner continuing towards my destination. As I walked next to the doors of the library, they suddenly flew open and one of the doors bashed me in the nose. After landing on my ass I felt a sensation of dizziness, and a faint stream of blood oozing out of my left nostril as I muttered, "ow". Suddenly I heard a timid voice exclaim, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I honestly didn't see you. Here, let me help you up." A pair of hands grabbed my left hand and jerked me up to my feet. I continued to caress my nose to see if it was broken, which thankfully it wasn't. I then wiped the blood off my face when I looked at who it was I inadvertently ran into.

It was a young woman with long, black hair braided into an intricate ponytail. She wore a pale yellow outfit that had a star stitched onto it, and which complimented her curvaceous figure. Her eyes were a serene shade of violet, and her skin was pale as snow and looked to be smooth as silk. The stinging pain in my nose abruptly vanished for I was mesmerized by this mystery girl's beauty. I must have been gawking like an absolute idiot and not paying attention because she began to wave a hand in my face and asked; "I said, are you ok?" My focus quickly shifted from her appearance and I replied somewhat sheepishly, "Y-yes, I'm fine. It's just a little blood is all, no big deal." My words must not have been sincere because she continued to apologize. "I really am sorry. I should have been more careful. Is there anything I-", Rather than allow her to feel any further guilt over a mere accident, I spoke in a gentler voice to ease her nerves. "I promise that it isn't a big deal really. We both were in a hurry and ended up running into each other. But if I might ask, why were you in such a rush to leave the library?" She spoke once more, and thankfully her anxiety somewhat vanished. "I heard my name being called over the PA system. So I hurried out of the library to see what the matter was."

In that moment, her identity became clear. "I'm guessing you're Tsubaki then, right?" She nodded while briefly smiling and in response asked, "And if I might ask, who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before." I smiled genuinely and said to her, "My name is Vladimir Blutmesser, and despite the crazy circumstances, it's a pleasure to meet you." I made eye contact with her while reaching my hand out to shake hers. She did the same and we shook hands. The whole time we did so, I couldn't help but think: _Man, she's pretty cute, and her hands ARE like silk._ Her smile broadened and she replied: "Yes, it is a pleasure, Vladimir."

After an interval of awkward silence that followed, I dug my hands into my pockets, cleared my throat and spoke, "As much as I'd like to keep talking to you, I must be going. I hope you have a great rest of the day, and I anticipate that we meet again. It was a delight meeting you, Tsubaki. Farewell." I once more resumed to navigate towards the Death Room, but stole a glance over my shoulder to see her wave at me while smiling. The entrance was near, yet as I entered, that brief encounter was all I could think about which plagued my concentration. _Damn it,_ I thought; _How the Hell am I going to focus during this meeting with Lord Death?!_


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

" _Now you stand reborn before us all. So glad to see you well"_

A Perfect Circle "The Noose"

I made my way through the guillotine gateways and approached Lord Death along with the others anticipating my arrival. "Hiyah! What's up?! Good to see you again, Vladimir. It has been a long time hasn't it?" "Yes indeed. It's been four years since we've spoken, sir." Even after time has passed, he still kept his really goofy voice, and silly demeanor. "Vladimir! I'm so happy to see you again!" I was suddenly being crushed by an intense bearhug which made breathing impossible. I couldn't writhe my way out, so all I could do was feebly mutter: "Ugh, it's...good to see you too Marie.." She still refused to let me go, and I slowly began to feel lightheaded. "Can't breathe...please..."

A couple of seconds passed until Professor Stein finally intervened. "Alright Marie, I think Vlad perfectly understands how much you missed him." I was released and could breathe once more. If there was one thing I didn't want my epitaph to read, it was: "Perished by suffocation at the hands of Miss Marie." Stein then placed a hand on my shoulder and in a kind tone greeted me. "It's great to see you again, Vladimir. How have you been after all this time?" I looked into the eyes of my former mentor and smiled before replying. "I've been better, but seeing you all again has certainly raised my spirits." "Did someone say my name?" I heard someone abruptly ask. I turned around to see the degenerate Death Scythe walk towards me. I merely snickered and sarcastically replied, "No, but it's good to see you too, jackass." We shook hands while laughing and our meeting seemed to commence.

I looked to find Sid and Justin to which Lord Death informed me, "Sid is currently filling in as a substitute teacher for Stein during our meeting. As for Justin, he volunteered to complete a mission in Brazil at the last minute." I scarcely spoke or interacted with Justin, so it didn't really matter if he was present for this gathering or not. Rather than inquire further, I simply shrugged and dryly quipped; "Oh well, guess he didn't wanna see me again after all these years that I've wept yearning for his presence." I was surprised to see Spirit, Marie, and even Stein stifling their giggling at my jest. "It seems you still retained your sense of humor, Vladimir. However your presence was not requested so you could joke." My smile immediately vanished and my face returned to a stern state. I grabbed a cigarette from my pocket and asked while I lit my coffin nail, "Alright then. So what is the genuine reason for my summoning?" Lord Death clapped his hands together before he began to elaborate.

"I'm not sure if you are aware, but lately there has been a steady increase in the number of Kishiin Eggs appearing throughout the world. I've already assigned Azusa and a team of 20 to hunt down any threat throughout the continent of Asia. However, if the time comes, I may need your colleagues here to travel to wherever more foes lurk and exterminate them." It was after a couple of seconds passed that I put out my cigarette and proceeded to ask him; "And so what is it that you would have me do?" He didn't have to hesitate with his request. "I would like to assign you as a leader for a group of students and guide them on missions to seek and destroy other pre-kishiins." What he was asking me certainly did surprise me. Just thinking about being responsible for the safety and well being of other students honestly scared the shit out of me. _It's already bad enough that I failed to protect my former partner. Now I'm asked to watch over a handful of young bloody whelps?!_

Marie must have sensed the conflicted state I was in, because she approached me and asked me in that unfaltering kind tone of hers: "Is something wrong Vladimir?" I didn't want her or the others to know how much I was freaking out on the inside, but I curtly replied. "No. It's just that I was not prepared to be given such a responsibility after having been gone for so long." I doubt my facade convinced anyone that I was genuinely calm. Lord Death spoke once more but with a hint of understanding in his voice. "I comprehend that what I'm asking of you is tough, mentally taxing, and rigorous. But I believe you're the ideal person to lead these students in the upcoming months. You would even be honoring Sareena by undertaking this task." At the careless mention of her name, I had to bite my tongue until it bled to keep from shouting furiously. Yet rather than lose my composure, I bitterly bowed my head while swallowing the blood seeping in my tongue and consented. "Fine I'll do it. Just tell me who it is I'll be responsible for so we can get this mess taken care of." Of course he was pleased to have me at his service once more. "Wonderful! I will have a list of chosen students for your group prepared soon. However I ask that you come tomorrow morning to meet them." I simply nodded at his orders, and as I turned to leave the Death Room he waved and called out in his typical wacky voice. "See ya in the morning, Vladimir! And thank you again for volunteering!" I turned around to face them one more time and said before exiting, "Yeah, don't mention it. And next time, don't manipulate me by name dropping Sareena in hopes of getting me to do your bidding."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Upon leaving the Death Room, I trekked down the same hallways as when I entered. After walking through the entrance of the school, I came down the staircase and walked towards my car. I had to search for my keys before unlocking the driver side door to get in. I sat on the leather seat after shutting my door while putting my key into the ignition, turning it clockwise, and revving my car to life. Before shifting gears from park to drive, I pulled out yet another cigarette, lit it, and turned up the volume on my car stereo. Within seconds, I dashed away from the school and drove towards home while singing along to the music: "I stand motionless in a parade of falling rain." I navigated through Death City making left and right turns, and occasionally stopping at intersections as I continued to sing and take drags of my cancer stick; "Your voice I cannot hear, as I am falling again." Once I was on the familiar road that led away from Death City I pressed my foot further down on the gas pedal speeding up while getting off the freeway towards a lonely road that lead to an isolated hill where my abode is situated. As soon as I reached the top, I slowed down into the garage. I snuffed out my cigarette and put my car into park before shutting it off and exiting.

I stepped into the living room where I sat my keys on the coffee table, lied down on the sofa and picked up the book I was reading just hours ago. Before I continued to read, I quickly glanced at the clock hanging on the wall to check what time it was, and it read: 11:25 a.m. Time passed and once I finished reading the book in its entirety, it was only 2:14 p.m. The truth is; once I get started on a book, it takes a lot of effort to get me to set it down. The only times I'll actually set a book down are to eat, get a drink, or sleep. In any case, I got up, stretched until my back popped in several places, and walked into the kitchen to find something to appease my hunger. Normally I'd cook something like steak, pasta, or something complex, but I was feeling lazy so I just pulled a pizza box from the freezer. After taking the frozen pizza out of the box, placing it on a tray, and into the oven, I uncorked a bottle of wine and poured myself a glass while I waited for the pizza to bake.

While taking sips and checking on the pizza, my phone buzzed signaling that I received a text. I checked to see who had sent the message and saw it was from Marie. It contained the list of students who would be in my group for the upcoming missions. She assured me they would be excused from their routine classes and that they would meet me in the library at 8 A.M. I read the names and couldn't help but laugh at the sheer coincidence: Maka Albarn, Soul Evans, Death the Kid, Liz & Patty Thompson, Crona, Black Star, and Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. I couldn't tell if it was a joke, or if this was a plot. When I read that last name, her name, I began to feel something. I wasn't sure if it was excitement, or anxiety of being in her presence again. Nevertheless I replied to the message: "Thanks Marie", and put my phone away. The oven then beeped and I pulled the pizza out which emitted an amazing aroma of various spices, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoni. Despite my unbearable hunger, and my mouth beginning to salivate, I set the tray on top of the stove to slice up the pizza before I could feast. I grabbed a plate from the cupboard, and used a knife so I could chop the pizza into 8 even slices.

After eating, I cleaned up the kitchen, put the dishes away in their usual areas, and returned to the living room. Rather than starting on another book, I decided to pass the time by playing some video games. As I traveled a fictional and virtual world killing dragons, trolls, and vampire clans, my mind began to wander and events from earlier that day replayed in my head. Primarily how I had my nose bashed by a door, and how that served as the catalyst to crossing paths with Tsubaki. Try as I might, I couldn't focus anymore on my game and kept dying so I just shut off the console. It was still early in the day, and yet I retreated to my room and intended to stay there. I sat in my recliner, plugged in my guitar and began to play in hopes of shifting my thoughts away from that beautiful girl. Mainly the songs I played were of sorrow, loss, and hollow memories. As I continued to fiercely strum and lacerate my fingers, I gazed towards the opposite wall at a collage of photographs of Sareena and I. Photos of us at the annual DWMA Anniversary Dance, at a Halloween costume party, Thanksgiving, kissing on New Year's Day, and many other special occasions. Even after four years, I can't look at those damn photographs without the threat of tears rising to my eyes, but I still don't have the heart to take them down. I stopped playing, shut off the amplifier, and sat in my chair mourning until the sun reemerged. I didn't even bother shutting off my stereo which played the aforementioned songs on repeat all through the night. It's only fitting that I let those songs mockingly continue to remind me of how I let my partner, the girl I loved, die, and there would be no atoning that loss.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Around 6 in the morning my alarm clock went off, and I awoke on the floor. I don't remember slumping out of the recliner, but nevertheless I got up and made my way to the bathroom. I took off my clothes, and my piercings so that I could shower. After that, I walked towards the sink and brushed my teeth while only wearing a towel. Once I freshened up I returned to my room to grab some clothes and change. I walked out donning a black, sleeveless shirt, my military waistcoat, black jeans and boots. After showering, brushing my teeth, and changing, it was only 6:26, so I still had a good hour to kill. I wasn't really hungry, yet I cooked and ate two grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches and washed them down with an energy drink. Rather than sit around and waste any more time, I decided to quickly clean up my mess, and drive into town to avoid dealing with morning traffic.

I arrived in Death City with a little more than half an hour to spare, so I stopped at the closest Death Bucks. I figured since I'd be meeting the members in my assigned group, the least I could do to break the ice was show up with food. I went through the drive thru and ordered a dozen chocolate chunk muffins and 9 lattes. Once I paid for my order and it was ready, I once more proceeded to drive towards the DWMA. By the time I finally showed up, it was only 7:48 so it was easier to make my way up the steps and arrive in the library where they would hopefully be waiting. However while walking up the steps, I began to somewhat regret having brought the muffins and coffees, because walking up all those steps while carrying all that proved to be tedious. Yet I miraculously managed to make it up the steps without dropping anything or spilling hot coffee on myself.

Upon entering the library and setting everything down on a vacant table, I noticed that there was nobody there. I checked my phone and it read 8:00 A.M. which puzzled me. Yet it was brief because suddenly the doors opened and in they entered. They stood there in silence before walking collectively towards where I stood. I greeted them with warm smile and a tone of genuine kindness; "Hey guys, it's good to see you all again." Maka then smiled and she asked: "So you're going to be our leader during our missions, Mr. Blutmesser?" I nodded in reply and stated: "But please, call me Vladimir or Vlad, there's no need for such formality in addressing me." Soul responded while grinning: "That's cool. Anything's better than having anymore dissection labs." Everyone chuckled at his joke, even I did. I looked over behind Maka and saw a pink-haired student standing so timidly with his eyes fixed to the floor. I couldn't help but pity him. When I first entered the school, I was just as nervous and anxious as he seemed to be.

Regardless, I walked behind Maka approaching towards him, and I said to him in an even friendlier tone: "Hello, you must be Crona? I'm Vladimir, pleased to meet you." Suddenly a voice scowled: "No one cares who the hell you are, dumbass!" Then a black little figure emerged from his body and tried to punch me. I evaded it by swaying to the right, and asked aloofly: "I'm guessing you're Ragnarok?" His rude tone didn't change because he asked angrily: "No shit, Sherlock! Why don't you do us all a favor and hang yourself so we don't have to hear your crappy, annoying voice anymore?!" I could tell Maka was becoming aggravated by Ragnarok's attitude, because she growled: "If you don't behave yourself, you'll be getting twenty Maka-chops instead of candy." I wasn't gonna let the little turd upset me, so I said: "You know, you've got a lot rage for such a little guy. If I feed you will you be quiet?" His tone calmed some, because he chuckled before slyly saying maybe. I grabbed the three extra muffins from the box and handed them to him. He then threw them in the air and ate them as a shark eats smaller fish. After his meal he let out a small belch and merged himself back into Crona's body. I snickered somewhat and sighed with relief, "Well that takes care of that I suppose." "Th-thank you for quieting R-ragnarok", Crona shyly stammered. "I didn't think I could deal with him just now." I gently put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Think nothing of it. If we're gonna work as a team, the least I can do is help you to make things easier, right?" A faint smile formed on his lips and he nodded in reply.

I turned towards the the group and said, "Oh by the way, the coffees and muffins on the table are for you guys. Please help yourselves" They raced over to the table to grab their share, sans Death the Kid. He stood by waiting for the others and said: "I probably should have warned you, giving Patty caffeine will have consequences." To which I face-palmed and said, "Now you tell me? **Sigh** It's going to be a long day then." I walked over to grab the two remaining coffees and handed one to Kid, while taking the remaining one for myself. Then Black Star looked up and asked with a mouthful of muffin: "Does shumbody not want the extras?" I looked towards Kid who shook his head in refusal. So I said, "You guys can have em." Soul and Black Star grabbed the extra ones and gorged on them. Kid and I walked over to join the rest of them, taking seats from a nearby table, and seated ourselves at the vacant side of the table. Maka, Tsubaki, and Liz looked towards me while still chewing on muffins, but Maka was the one to speak first. "Thanks for the coffee and muffins." Liz then spoke, "Yeah thanks. I was trying to stay awake." Lastly Tsubaki said beguilingly, "Yes. Thank you for the kind gesture, and for volunteering to lead our group." "It is my pleasure", was all I could say before I raised my coffee cup and said so all could hear: "To our group. May these next few months be filled with successful missions, and great triumphs." Everyone mirrored my gesture and our coffee cups touched with each others'.

We continued to drink our coffee while I was being bombarded by questions from each individual. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Liz asked. I made eye contact with each person before replying: "Nope, no siblings. I'm an only child." Patty followed up that question with: "Do you ever get lonely?" That question had me do some brief, silent reflecting, and I responded while shrugging: "Ehhhh...sometimes truthfully." "Does your last name mean something" Maka would ask. I turned to her and answered: "Yeah, it roughly translates as blood knife or blood blade." "Where are you and your family from?" Tsubaki asked. "Our lineage is of German descent. My parents currently reside in Berlin, and sent me here when I was 10 to study." "So what is your weapon form?" Soul asked. I turned to him and said, "I turn into a Zweihä nder long sword. Should I show you?" He grinned and said, "Yeah that would be cool to see." So I changed into my weapon form which garnered awestruck glances from everyone. It was even funnier watching Black Star, Kid, and Liz try to lift and wield me smoothly. They'd try to lift and swing me, but they'd do so in such a clumsy fashion. I turned back to my normal form, and suggested: "Why don't we go outside and try that? I don't think the librarian or Sid would be happy with people trying to swing a massive longsword in here."


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

We walked out of the library and into the forest behind the school. There I once more changed into my weapon form, and challenged each person to try and wield me. Black Star stepped up and swung me around forcefully. He'd swing and I'd exert extra force and power into every attack. One technique I demonstrated was called "Schädel Wind" (Skull Wind) which increased the speed of every attack to blinding speeds. After some time he began to tire and set me down. What I did not expect was for Maka to come up, lift me, and swing me seamlessly with ease. Impressed with her aptitude, I asked; "Are you ready to see something badass?" She nodded and said eagerly, "Tell me what I must do." At her statement, I chuckled and said, "Let us resonate first. Then swing me as hard as you can, and see." After our souls resonated, I growled before roaring: "SCHATTEN MÖRDER (Shadow Killer)!" As she swung down with utter strength, my blade emitted a pitch black wave of energy that traveled across the ground and sky, enveloping everything in its path. In a matter of seconds everything within 10 miles began to decompose and deteriorate. That display of power no doubt shocked everyone, including Black Star, who dropped to his knees while staring at the dead and fallen trees, and once massive rocks were now reduced to dust where once they stood.

I returned to my human form, and laughed at their stunned faces. "Geez guys, you act like you've just seen a ghost or something." A few seconds passed until Patty shouted as she leaped up in the air: "That was...AWESOME!" Everyone else remained appalled while Black Star asked curiously, thus breaking the silence: "Was that your strongest attack or is there some hidden technique you're hiding from your God?" I simply shrugged and said: "Who knows?" He insisted that I demonstrate it, but I flatly refused. I then changed the subject by asking each pair of Meisters and Weapons to demonstrate their abilities. The idea behind that was so I may also assess their strengths and see if they needed to improve in any way. Maka and Soul went up first and upon resonating their souls harmoniously, they performed Demon Hunter. I had seen that attack performed only once, so to see Maka and Soul capable of doing so astonished me. Kid, Liz and Patty then resonated together and launched their Death Cannon. Black Star and Tsubaki went up next and showed me their God Slaying Attack. Lastly, Crona and Ragnarok, who surprisingly was actually compliant, proceeded to demonstrate their Screech Alpha attack. By the time we each displayed our attacks and abilities, we had cut down maybe 500 trees all around us.

 _Wow_ I thought. _These guys show tremendous promise. Perhaps these missions will go smoothly after all..._ I looked at each of them before addressing them with pride. "I gotta say, Lord Death definitely picked the best suited and capable people for this project. You've amazed me beyond description, so much so, that whatever fear or doubts I had before, have vanished." I saw the gratification on their faces, but their attention then shifted to Stein who walked from among the trees and towards our group. "Yes quite true indeed, Vladimir. They are undoubtedly formidable fighters with deadly weapon partners." Black Star walked up to Stein and asked; "Did you come to watch the real star shine among this crowd?" Stein shook his head and replied, "No. The purpose behind my arrival is to inform you that Lord Death is ready to give you your first mission. He requests that all of you report to the Death Room immediately." We didn't delay a moment further, and proceeded to collectively head for the Death Room.

We entered together and were greeted eccentrically by Lord Death. "Yo! Hey, what's up?! It's great to see you are working together as a team. I trust you know why you were asked to come?" Kid broke the silence by asking, "What are the details revolving our first mission, father?" "Glad you asked, Kiddo," Lord Death said. "There is a gang in New York City that has been running rampant in the last few weeks. They are responsible for the abductions and murders of men and women, and must be dealt with at once." I faced Lord Death and asked, "How many members are in this gang?" He placed a finger on his cheek in contemplation and replied: "Approximately 200. They're using the White Horse Tavern as their headquarters, and they are loyally devout to their leader named Jackal. The souls of the victims are his to consume while his army satisfies itself with bloodshed, rewards of money and drugs." It was my turn to address everyone, I looked at each of them and said: "Meet me at the airport at 10 A.M. We'll fly there, slay our foes, and be back by tomorrow night." They nodded in agreement, and I left the others in the Death Room while I was heading towards the exit and going home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Our flight to the Big Apple was to leave at 10:30, but we boarded ten minutes prior. We sat together in the business class where we wouldn't be disturbed by other passengers, and so we could formulate a plan. It proved to be really difficult when we took into consideration that since we were underage, we would draw a vast amount of unwanted attention. The best we could do was improvise as we went along. Our flight landed at 5 pm, and we had no problem hailing a taxi that took us to the closest hotel which was on Bleecker and Christopher Street. From there we were only 5 minutes away from the tavern, so we didn't have to travel far. After getting settled into our room, I told them to hang tight while I walk over to the bar. Everyone else seemed OK with the decision except for Black Star. He seemed rather impatient and adamant against me going on my own leaving him and the others to just sit around.

"Why should I sit here wasting time, and do nothing? I could go over there and assassinate all of them by myself. It would be easy to take them out and we can be done, and out of here." I stared at him with an incredulous look and said with utmost patience, "Because you'd stick out like a sore thumb. Aside from that, you can't assassinate anyone if everyone can see you, especially in broad daylight. I know you wanna get this over with, and do so in grandiose fashion. But we need to know what to expect before we act rashly." Tsubaki walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and tried to reason with him. "Vladimir is right, Black Star. None of us gain anything by barging in without a plan." Unfortunately her attempts to calm him down only angered him further. He growled in agitation, smacked her hand off his shoulder, and stomped past her. "I don't need you to belittle and talk down to me! I'm a god, and gods don't need people to tell him how to kill his enemies." He walked into one of the rooms and slammed the door. I sighed and said, "Anyway, I'll be back as fast as I can. Once we know what we're dealing with, we can better plan our assault." However before I walked out of the room, I walked over to Tsubaki, who was trying to hide her tears, and said to her, "I'm certain he didn't mean to lash out at you like that. Give him time to chill out. He'll have a cool head after a while and he'll apologize." Liz, Patty, and Maka walked over to console her while Kid and Soul walked into the room to talk some sense into Black Star leaving Crona to sit alone on the sofa as I stepped out of the room and began my short trip.

I went inside the tavern to have a look around and see what the layout was like. The bartender, a bearded, short and stout man, glanced in my direction menacingly and shouted: "Hey! What the hell you think you're doing in here?! People inside the bar instantly looked up from their drinks and stared in our direction. I walked towards the bar and said to him, "I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm not from around here, and I was just hoping to get a drink." He looked me down, and sighed before barely cracking a smile and spoke once more. "Alright then. Sorry for unloading on ya like that. Lately we've been having a bunch of punks come in all high on coke or meth and they harass the customers." Once the others noted that our conversation had taken a calmer tone, they returned their attention to their drinks. I began to pay closer attention to what he was saying as he filled a glass with beer and handed it to me. I was about to tell him that I wasn't legally able to drink, but he just gave me a wink, so I accepted. "Yeah, these little shits are ruining the place by coming here trying to either sell their crap or pick fights with people." I took sips from my beer as he explained his dilemma. I then asked, "Why not get the fuzz to keep 'em from coming in here?" "I tried. But my business partner, Al, he pays me good money to keep quiet and not call the cops." "Al?" I asked curiously. "Al who?" "Alfred Roger Jackson, but most know him as Jackal." I feigned my surprise to not arouse any suspicions. "So you're aware that he's in on the whole deal?" "Yeah, but I got into a financial pinch some years ago. That being said, I'm in his debt. Lost my job, my house, my savings, my marriage and my kids because of a gambling addiction. I met Al a year ago when I barely started working here, and he said he'd help me get back on my feet." He sighed heavily before he continued, "Had I known of his methods of helping me out, I would've just turned around and walked away." Once he finished, I drank the last of my beer before telling him, "Your luck just might change." He looked at me warily before asking, "Why do you say that? What can you do?" I merely grinned mischievously before saying, "Refill my beer, please, and I'll explain."

One hour, 2 beers, and 20 bucks later, I returned to our hotel room where Maka and Soul were sitting on the sofa awaiting for my return. "So what did you find out?" Maka asked. I smiled roguishly before replying, "I need you all to gather 'round so we can begin making preparations." Everyone else immediately sat around the coffee table as I began to explain. With just one conversation, a window of opportunity opened broadly for us. "It turns out that the bartender, Frank, knows of Jackal and his operations that take place after midnight. He's in Jackal's pocket so that's why he hasn't ratted him to the police. I told him I'd do him a solid by taking care of Jackal and his cronies, and he offered me a spare key to the bar." Maka then interrupted my train of thought by saying, "But Vlad, that doesn't answer the question of how we handle the thugs inside." I looked to her and smiled before proceeding, "Perceptive, and quite the clever girl you are. But hear me out. It's a good thing that today's Friday, because it turns out they hire music acts to play while they mingle, drink, and get high." It was then that their eyes gleamed with excitement and I kept speaking.

"Frank told me that a band has already been booked. Yet he went ahead and gave me their phone number. I got in touch with them and after some negotiating, they said they could use an extra guitar player and pianist." It was then I looked directly at Soul and he looked genuinely surprised. He asked, "How do you know I play piano?" I couldn't help but somewhat laugh at his shock. "You didn't think I'd take up the position without doing some research on you guys, did you? Yeah, I'm quite aware that you're quite the musician, which means this mission could benefit from utilizing yours, as well as my talents." Soul became enraptured at the idea of getting to perform during a mission. "We'll be in there performing with them, but when the time comes, I'll signal for an ambush and we attack while their guard is down. Crona will wait by the back exit in case anyone tries to escape. Black Star and Tsubaki will take the right entrance while Maka, Kid, Patty, and Liz take the one on the left. And Black Star," I turned to make direct eye contact with him and continued, "Will have the honors of crashing the party by killing Jackal." At this he chuckled and said while grinning broadly, "Now you're beginning to make sense. Letting the real star shine by taking out the VIP, you flatter me."


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

Upon unanimously agreeing on how to execute our plan, Soul and I went off to meet with the the band and rehearse. We met them in some dingy apartment building a few blocks away from our hotel after we stopped at a nearby music shop to pick up a keyboard and a guitar. The band was called 'Knights of Gallowmere' and they were a cover band that played various styles of music. The band consisted of five members; Eddie the drummer, Rob played bass, Johnnie was their only guitarist , and two vocalists, Todd and Krista. At first they were skeptical that Soul and I couldn't play, but we proved our worth and thus they were impressed. We then spent around two and a half hours deciding which songs to play, and then practicing nonstop. It was 8 o'clock by the time we finished practicing, and Soul and I were exhausted. We parted ways with the band, and went back to the hotel to meet with the others. While on our way back, Soul and I spoke so that we may know a little more about each other.

"Hey Vlad, how do you think this whole mission is gonna go?" I shrugged in reply, and maintained eye contact while responding: "To tell the truth. I'm not too sure. I can only hope things go well, and neither the band members or any of us get hurt." He nodded and followed up with another question; "How did you learn to play the guitar like that?" I grinned with pride as I told him, "I taught myself to play. Sareena gave me my first guitar when I was 13, and I learned on my own." In response, I asked him, "When did you begin to play the piano?" "I started when I was 5. But I've never really liked to play in front of other people because I didn't think I'd ever be as good a musician as my brother. Up until tonight, the only other person who has ever heard me play is Maka." "Well that's quite a shame, because you clearly have talent." "Hey, what styles of music do you like?" I replied, "I have a handful of favorites, but my top two are rock, and heavy metal." "What about you?" I asked. "I mainly like jazz and some rock. Heavy metal isn't really my thing" I merely chuckled at his answer. His next question abruptly erased my smile "You mentioned someone named Sareena. Who is she?" I sighed before answering, "She was many things; my Meister, my best friend, and the love of my life." "Was? What happened? Did you guys break up or something?" "No. Nothing like that. We actually were really happy together. Four years ago, we were sent on a mission, of which afterward I was actually planning on proposing to her. Lamentably, she died during our fight. We initially were sent to fight and kill one witch, but we didn't know we'd fall into a trap and fight against three other witches. We were able to kill three of them, but the last one proved to be too much." I glanced at Soul who was shocked by what I told him. "I'm sorry, Vlad. Did you at least kill the witch who took her life?" "Yeah, I did. It took some time to hunt her down, but I got the satisfaction of killing her with my bare hands. The sad thing is, even though I avenged her death, I still feel a void due to her absence." Soul gave a sad smile and said in reply, "She must have been an amazing person." I nodded and told him, "Perhaps someday, we'll share a beer, and I'll tell you about how her and I first met." I then pulled my jacket hood over my head and bowed my head so he wouldn't see my tears while walking the remainder of the way in silence.

We returned and saw everyone gathered around in the living room eating burgers, fries and milkshakes while laughing at who knows what. "Hey guys, I hope you're hungry," Liz said. "The girls were impatient, and getting hungry. So rather than wait we decided to order dinner. I hope you don't mind," Kid said. Soul walked over to join them in their carefree banter while I ignored the invitation. I walked out to the balcony in silence with my head bowed down, and closed the doors to smoke. I leaned against the railing, exhaling a long cloud of smoke while staring up at the star-cluttered sky. Although I usually found tranquility by merely looking up at the stars and moon, there was no serenity to be found for my mind was plagued by many thoughts. I continued to feel uncertainty regarding the outcome of tonight's mission. The thought of anyone of them getting killed or even hurt left me profusely apprehensive. I stole a glance at each of them and silently vowed to keep everyone safe; no matter the cost. My thoughts were interrupted by Liz who was knocking on the glass doors with a look of genuine concern. I motioned for her to come outside and she did.

"Hey, aren't you going to eat with us?" "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not really hungry. "You've been really quiet since you and Soul came back, is something wrong?" "There's too much on my mind right now that's kept me from having an appetite." "Oh yeah? Like what?" "Mainly assessing how tonight will go, the great responsibility I have of assuring everyone's safety, and faint nervousness about the performance Soul and I are putting on tonight." She was silent for a while taking in the magnitude of my inner conflicts. She then smiled and spoke. "Vlad, you don't have to worry about us so much. We're not kids, it may not seem like it, but we can protect ourselves against the worst of enemies. It's great that you want to make sure everyone is safe, but the best thing you can do is have confidence. In yourself as a leader, and in us as your partners. I was surprised by how effective her words were in relieving me of my doubt and panic. She noted my look of grim dread was gone and was replaced with a smile. "That's the spirit, now come inside and join us before Black Star and Ragnarok eat whatever is left." I snuffed out my cigarette and walked inside taking off my jacket and sat on the couch next to Soul and Crona.

I turned to ask Soul how he was feeling about performing in front of unsuspecting targets. He grinned before speaking, "Being all sneaky isn't really my style, but I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they realize they're in for a trap." I turned to face Black Star and said to him, "Hey, don't forget to steal the show, Shinobi." He in reply laughed and said, "Ha! They'll be blinded by how bright I shine." "Yeah, I'm sure they will." I looked down and saw there was only one burger and a small handful of fries left. I was going to reach for it when Crona who was sitting next to me, and also had the same idea beat me to it. He panicked briefly but I gave him a small pat on the back and said. "Go ahead, Crona. Take it. I'll eat something later." "A-are you s-sure?" "Of course. Now dig in. We need you at one hundred percent if this is to go smoothly." While Crona nibbled on his burger, I glanced at Kid and asked, "How's your aim?" He replied confidently, "Accurate and lethal. But why do you ask?" "Because if Black Star's gonna take out the VIP, we could certainly use a great diversion. I'll give the signal, and when the time comes, open fire."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

" _Hier kommt die Sonne"_

(Here comes the sun)

Rammstein "Sonne"

It was 11:00 when Soul and I arrived outside the wolves' den with our instruments, waiting for the band to come. They showed up 10 minutes later with all of their equipment in an old, rust colored pickup, but one member was not present. "Hey guys, sorry we're late. Todd, our idiot vocalist, picked the worst time to quit the band." I couldn't conceal my irritation as I ran a hand across my hair and with exasperation asked, "Why NOW of all times?" "Because he's had the hots for Krista for a long time. But when she turned him down for like, the thousandth time, he got pissed off and quit." "Are you shitting me?! Had the hots for me?! The creep's been trying to get in my pants for months." "Well that's just fucking dandy. So now who's gonna fill in and take his spot?" "Well we could pull this off without him, right?" Johnny suggested. "No way!" Rob exclaimed. "What about the duets? You know that we sound like howling dogs trying to sing." They all looked at me abruptly, and I reluctantly agreed to take lead. "Alright fine", I muttered through clenched teeth. "Let's go set up and we'll do this as we rehearsed."

We came inside while it was empty, and began to help each other prepare. I helped Eddie with his drums while the others hooked up the instruments to the amps and speakers that were provided. It took another twenty minutes taping down the wiring and chords, doing sound checks, making sure the guitars and pedals were tuned and audible, and the two microphones worked properly. We were ready with five minutes to spare, which gave me time to call up the others who wasted no time in answering. "Soul and I just finished prepping. At midnight, this place will be packed. Remember to have that radio I gave you on, and be ready to strike when I give the signal." I hung up, walked towards Soul, and whispered so only he could hear, "As extra insurance that the diversion works, we'll take our instruments, and hurl them towards 'em." "Sounds like a great plan. I'll follow your lead." I patted him on the back, and began to do some last minute warming up.

Once the clock struck midnight, a man wearing a biker jacket, black jeans, and boots came in while smoking a cigar. He was a tall, curly haired blonde with a handlebar mustache, and had a gruff voice to compliment his rugged appearance. "You guys tonight's entertainment?" "Yeah, we're all set", I said coolly. He put out his cigar and said while grinning. "Very nice, because I brought all my friends to hear some good music. So don't disappoint me, and you'll make good money. I promise" He whistled to signal his guests, and in came tons of guys pouring inside. I glanced carefully at all of them and saw that they all were armed. One grave error would inevitably lead to fatal disaster. Luckily some were already high, and some were helping themselves to the liquor behind the bar. One of them looked at us and yelled out. "Hey Al! These runts wanna drink?" The man looked at us and asked, "Well? Don't be shy. What's your pleasure, gentlemen, and lady?" Soul and I shook our heads which made Al eye us suspiciously. "What's the matter? Ain't old enough to drink?" "We're not. But I'm sure they are." As I said that I nodded over to the others to shift his attention away from us. He walked over to Johnnie who asked and scored himself a bottle of whiskey. Krista shyly asked, "Could I get some water?" Her request earned roars of laughter from everyone except for Al. "Back off boys, if the pretty lady wants water, we'll give her water." He snapped his fingers and someone brought her a pitcher of water and two glasses. Lastly, Rob and Eddie asked for a bucket of cold beers. "You have your refreshments. Now how's about you go on up, and play something?" We walked over to the makeshift stage area and commenced our performance.

With all eyes on us, and the lights growing dim, I pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and took several drags to ease my nerves. I heard faint knocks on the window to our left amidst the ruckus from inside the bar, and saw Liz and Patty giving us a thumbs up. Soul started the performance with a brief solo, and soon Eddie beat his drums signaling for Johnnie, Rob and I to follow. The first song on our set list was a brief instrumental which immediately led into our next track. As we played, I couldn't help but feel a bit of stage fright. The primary feeling I had was anxiety as the moment for me to begin singing drew near. _Shit! Maybe asking for some rum would've been a good idea,_ I thought. Krista observed my jittery disposition because she sang the first verse while I played. After taking a deep breath and regaining my composure, I stepped up to the microphone and sang the next verse which swayed not just my band mates but our rugged audience. The rest of our performance carried on without incident and we were having fun. It was the first time in a long time that I enjoyed singing, let alone playing guitar. Especially when I looked out into the crowd and saw our audience headbanging, and giving us the devil horns every now and then.

We grew closer towards the end of our performance, and the 8th song we played required I sing in my native German. "Alright, this next song is by Rammstein, and it's called 'Sonne'". Most of the songs we performed we improvised by turning them into duets, but this was one of ten that were solos. As Soul played the accompaniment, I growled then shouted: "Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier, Fünf, Sechs, Sieben, Acht, Neun, AUS!" Eddie smashed his snare repeatedly before connecting his drum sticks with the cymbals, and when he did, Johnnie, Rob, Nick, and I strummed our guitars while Soul continued to play along with us. As I kept singing, midway through the song Krista sang backing vocals which sounded, for lack of a better term, angelic. At the end of the song Soul pressed various keys that emitted sounds of a cello while Krista sang the remaining vocals. Once the applause died down, I asked the gang in a curious tone, "Who in here wants to hear some Death Metal?" At once the place filled with frantic roars of anticipation. "Very well then, this next song is by Opeth, and it's about a demon. Demon of the Fall." The song was very well received, yet it was harsh on my throat. All that growling, snarling, and roaring left me sounding like I swallowed broken glass and hot coals.

Before we began our final song, I walked over to Soul and whispered, "Remember, when the time comes, we throw our instruments into the crowd." He nodded while grinning and after reminding the others waiting outside what to do, via a small earpiece and microphone, I walked over to the mic once more and gave a quick introduction to the final song. "This will be our last song of the night, it's by Volbeat, and it's called 'The Hangman's Body Count'" We started playing and once more everyone was into the song. Halfway into the song, my heart beat increased rapidly which nearly made me mess up while I played. I made direct eye contact with Jackal, smiling as I sang: "Put on the rope, you knew the day was coming. Say your prayers once more, you're part of the hangman's body count." The time came, and instead of playing the solo, I yelled, "SOUL! NOW!" We then unplugged our instruments and launched them as hard as we could towards the gang. They were either too drunk, drugged up, or both to focus on what was happening as a guitar and a keyboard went soaring in the air coming right at them. Suddenly the right door flew open and Kid opened fire at the gang while they scrambled for cover or for their firearms. Krista, and the others did not hesitate to frantically duck for cover behind the bar. I then saw Black Star, out of the corner of my eye, sprinting with Tsubaki in her chain-scythe form towards Jackal while dodging bullets and with one swift swing he slew him. The majority of them tried to fight, but once Maka and Soul paired together amid the gunfire and unleashed their Witch-Hunter attack towards the remaining enemies only a small handful remained. They tried fleeing for the backdoor, but Crona and Ragnarok were waiting and eliminated them with their Screech Alpha Attack.

The fight didn't last longer than ten minutes and all that remained were pre-kishiin souls, broken bottles, and bullet casings. I walked over to the bar where Krista, and the rest were still cowering behind the bar. "You guys can come out now. The fight's over." Krista then lunged toward me with an open hand and gave me a swift right hand across the face which stung like a bitch. "YOU ASSHOLE! What the hell was all that about?! We could've been killed you know?" "I admit I deserved that, and I apologize. Are you guys alright?" The guys slowly rose to their feet and nodded. "Well never mind the fact we almost died, but now our paycheck's gone", Krista scowled. While rolling my eyes I walked over to the table where Jackal was sitting, found his coat slung on a chair, fiddled inside the pockets, and found two thick bundles of cash. I then tossed them towards her, and said, "I hope this suffices." Her and her band mates stared in shock at the amount of money they had in their hands. Soul then walked over to me and whispered, "You should probably call Frank and tell him the job's done." "Right, thanks for the reminder", I replied. As my team members divided the number of souls amongst themselves, and Krista and her band mates divided their pay, I walked behind the bar. While dialing Frank's phone number, I grabbed a bottle of brandy and poured myself a full glass chugging it in an instant. The phone rang a few times and after the third one a voice spoke while resisting the urge to yawn.

"Th-is is Frank." "Hey Frank, it's Vladimir. Listen, the job is done, and Jackal won't be giving you trouble anymore." Upon hearing this, there was a change in his tone from exhaustion to relief. "That's the best news I've heard in years. There's a hatch door behind the bar. If you go down there, Jackal has a safe that has a small fortune in there. Why don't you help yourself to it." "No thanks. I have no need for money, why don't you keep it and maybe use it to repair the place, or take a small vacation." He laughed and continued, "You're a saint, Vladimir. I'll never forget what you've done for me." "Don't mention it, just take care of yourself, Frank." "You too. And if you ever come around again, know that you'll be welcome here." "Thanks Frank. Have a good one." I hung up my phone and opened the hatch door which was beneath my feet. It was dark, but with my phone's flashlight, I could see my surroundings clearly. There were cases marked with various liquor brands, towers of kegs, and in one of the corners stood the safe Frank mentioned. I was about to go back up the steps when I heard muffled whimpers. I turned quickly shining my flashlight towards the source of the noise and saw six people sitting on the floor. There were three women and three men, and each was blindfolded, had their mouths taped, and were bound by a rope to restrain them. I lay my phone on the floor, and took the blindfolds off each of them and eased their fear. "It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you, and neither will Jackal. Just sit still and I'll cut this rope. My right arm then took its blade form and I slowly cut into the rope. It eventually gave way, and the hostages took the tape off of their mouths.

Soul and the others stood around congratulating each other when I came up from the lower floor. "Hey Vlad," Black Star asked. "What were you doing down there? That chick wanted to say goodbye to you, but instead she left her phone number." All I could do was shake my head and ignore his remark. "You guys aren't gonna believe this, but Jackal had hostages trapped in here the whole time." They emitted a collective gasp and it was Kid who then asked. "And are they alright? Or are we too late?" I smiled and said, "Actually, they're safe and ready to return home." The three couples then stepped out and one by one thanked Maka, Soul, Kid, Liz, Patty, Black Star, Tsubaki, Crona, and I. They then walked out of the bar, and I then addressed my group. "That was a marvelous job on all your parts. You each should be proud, we rescued innocent lives, and assured that no more will fall victim to a madman. Now, who's ready to go home?" They ecstatically agreed and we walked out and returned to the hotel. We entered the room, collected our luggage, locked the door, and hailed a taxi with our destination being the airport.

It was 1:25 when we arrived at the airport. At the last minute we were able to acquire a flight headed for Death City, and once more we sat in the business class to avoid dealing with other passengers. During the flight, the others were sound asleep except for Black Star. He hopped into an empty seat next to me and asked me more questions than I had the motivation to answer. "Hey Vlad, you still want that girl's number?" "Nah, you can keep it if you want." "What's the matter, man? She ain't cute enough for ya?" "It's not that. I'm not really interested in her is all. If you wanna talk to her, be my guest." He chuckled as he patted his pocket and asked, "How can you afford all these flights? Are your parents like super rich or something?" "No. For years before taking up this assignment I worked as a mercenary and a bounty hunter. I traveled to all parts of the world, hunting down evil men for profits, and taking arms to fight worthy causes when the money was good." "Whoa", was his reply. "Is that where all those scars are from." "No. All these were from one fight, but I'd rather not talk about it." He eyed me with curiosity and asked, "Why not? Did you lose the fight" I hid my irritation at his attempts of interrogating me as I curtly replied; "Because it's a long story, and I don't feel like telling it." I folded my arms and tucked them behind my head after putting in my earphones and turning on some music. Black Star wasn't through with the game of 21 questions because he plucked out my right earphone and asked, "Do you think my chances with that girl look good?" I growled in annoyance and said, "I don't know. You'll have to find that out on your own." I pulled my jacket hood over my head to indicate that I was done answering questions and wished to be left in peace.

We landed in Death City at 7 in the morning at which point we were severely exhausted. We gathered our bags and lurched out of the airport, but before we parted ways Kid stopped us. The rest of us let out a groan in unison before he addressed us. "I know you all are tired, I am too. But I was wondering if you all wanted to come over to Gallows Mansion later tonight and hang out?" We looked at each other before accepting his invitation. He smiled as he summoned Beelzebub, had Liz and Patty transform into pistols and they ascended. While in the air, and before they took off he called out, "See you all tonight!" Soul and Maka walked over to where his motorcycle was, got on and sped away. Only Crona, Black Star, Tsubaki, and I remained. I asked them if they needed a ride home to which Black Star and Tsubaki nodded, but not Crona. I asked him if he was certain that he didn't need a ride, but he assured me that he was fine. A pair of black wings then emerged from his back, and he flew away waving at us. I had the others follow me to where my car was parked, and they stared in awe at my baby. It was a matte black, 1968 Chevy Chevelle SS with glossy black rims to match the paint job. I unlocked the doors, and loaded the bags into the trunk as they got settled in. Black Star got in the back seat and lied down taking up all the space. In less than a minute he was passed out and snoring loudly. Tsubaki sat herself in the passenger seat, and put on her seat belt. Before she could reach to close her door, I walked over and closed it for her and walked over to the driver side. I got in, gunned the car to life, and we took off.

"So Tsubaki, where is the destination I'm driving to?" She smiled and said, "476 Tombstone Avenue." "Say no more, mademoiselle", I said in an outrageous French accent. "I shall transport thee there safely." She giggled and leaned back into the leather seat. "Thank you for driving Black Star and I home, Vladimir. Can I at least pay you for the gas?" I snickered in response and said, "Nope. Think nothing of it. Just sit back and enjoy the voyage." After sometime taking various turns and stopping at intersections in the city, she asked in her sweet voice, "Would you mind turning down the air conditioner, Vlad?" I heard her request, and although I intended to oblige, she too reached for the knob at the same time I did. For a minuscule moment, I held her hand, and it was a sweet feeling. I looked down and saw I had my hand over hers, and then looked at her, and could see a very faint blush across her cheek as she continued smiling. I lifted my hand off of hers while chuckling stupidly and said bashfully, "Oops. I hope I didn't make you feel awkward." She merely replied with kindness in her voice, "Not at all."

After another 3 minutes we arrived at their place, and I put the car in park before shutting it off. I got out, opened her door, and went towards the trunk to retrieve their bags. Before I closed it, Tsubaki asked if I would wake Black Star. I then began to chuckle malevolently as I took the bullhorn which I kept in the trunk, closed it softly, and made my way towards the rear driver side door. He still was sound asleep and his muffled snores reminded me of a hog's snorts. Very carefully I opened the door, had my hand over the button and yelled loudly into the bullhorn: "ATTENTION SLEEPING BEAUTY! YOU ARE HOME NOW GET OUT OF MY CAR!" He sprang up abruptly and hit his head on the ceiling of the car while I fell back laughing like a lunatic. As he rubbed his head he grumbled incoherently on his way out of the car and up the stairs. Meanwhile I still stifled my laughter as I called out, "That's payback for not letting me sleep on the flight!" Tsubaki covered her mouth to conceal her laughter as she walked over so I could hand her the bags. "That was mean, but funny. You know he'll never forget about that right?" "Yeah, but oh well." She then surprised me when she walked over and gave me a hug. I stared at her as she then waved while walking inside and said, "See you tonight!" All I could do was slowly raise my hand to wave and whisper silently, "Farewell."


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

It was at approximately 8:53 when I came home, and upon arrival I felt utterly drained. I ignored the loud growling my stomach emitted from not eating the night before, and began to take off my boots and jacket so I could lie down. Normally I'd shower and change before going to sleep, but I had no more energy and just collapsed onto the sofa. Within minutes I had passed out, and the dreams began. As I drifted into sleep, I began to dream of various past memories. They were of Sareena, and the blissful moments we shared when we first met, the places we traveled to, and the joyous times we had within the walls of our once happy home. The very kind of memories that I vigorously fought to suppress for four years. Yet they abruptly returned with a vengeance only to further torment me.

One happy memory I was reliving was the day we celebrated our 3 year anniversary. It was early in the evening during the fall, and she had gone into town to go shopping and pay bills hours ago. She was unaware that the whole time since her departure, I had cleaned the entire house, cooked dinner, and made special preparations for us. "Vladimir?" she called upon her return. "Are you home?" I had just finished setting the table, lighting several candles, and played soft music when I replied, "I'm in the dining room, meine Königin" (my queen). She walked in with two armfuls of groceries and gasped in awe at what she saw. I stood by the table dressed in a black suit as the dining room glowed softly with candlelight and the table had been set for an elegant dinner. I brought the small stereo from our our bedroom and played music from her favorite CD. She forgot about the groceries in her arms when she put her hands over her mouth to confine her shock, and they began to fall. Fortunately I caught them before they could crash to the floor, and carried them into the kitchen. She followed me while taking off her coat and when I turned around she leaped up, wrapping herself onto me and gave me the most affectionate of kisses. She was in my arms as we stared deeply into each others' eyes and spoke. "You never fail to surprise me, and that's why I love you. Did you know that?" Before I could reply, I couldn't resist the opportunity to tenderly kiss her on the forehead. I have kissed her on her forehead many times, but every time I do so I always saw a faint blush upon her cheeks. "Well I think it's pretty obvious that surprising and loving you is what I live for, isn't it?" We kissed once more and I carried her back into the dining room. "So what did you make for dinner?" She unwrapped herself from me and walked towards the table while I pulled her seat out for her. Before walking back into the kitchen, I grabbed our plates, served even portions of food onto each one, and returned to the dining room. "Your favorite meal, sweetheart. Veal Marsala and mushrooms, with a side of Alfredo pasta, and a basket of fresh, baked bread." She clapped her hands and squealed with eager anticipation, and I couldn't help but laugh at how cute she was when she's happy. I poured a glass of wine for each of us and we ate our meal while occasionally stealing amorous glances at each other.

We finished eating and she got up to take the dishes into the kitchen. She returned to the dining room and I reached under the table to pull a gift bag out that contained her present. She looked surprised as she saw me place the bag on the table and asked, "What is that?" "It's today's garbage", I joked. "I put it in this lovely bag, and hid it under the table for you to take out." She didn't hesitate to playfully smack my arm and demand an honest reply while pouting. "You can be a real dork sometimes. Now tell me what's in the bag, jerk." I laughed but eventually stopped to reply. "Alright, alright, it's not garbage. It's actually my way of expressing my adoration for you, and how I want nothing more in this world than to be by your side until the end of time. She smiled and opened the bag which contained a black box. She carefully pulled it from the bag, and in that instant I commented. "I couldn't afford a present this year. So I got you this box." Once more my jests ended with me getting another smack to the arm. Yet I could hear her stifling her laughter as she anxiously she lifted the tab up. The contents within caused her to gasp and instantly brought tears to her eyes.

She reached in and pulled from the box a glass vase on which her name was elegantly engraved across the center, and in the vase were a dozen beautiful, silver dipped roses. She carefully set down the vase, and as I stood behind her wrapping my arms around her waist, I whispered softly into her ear, "Frohes Jubiläum, mein Engel (Happy anniversary, my angel). Ich liebe dich (I love you)." She wept silently in my arms so I began to wipe away her tears. "I know how fond you are of roses, so rather than giving you some that would eventually wither and die, I figured I'd give you ones you can keep forever." She stopped crying and turned towards me whilst still in my embrace and spoke, "They're beautiful, Vlad. I have never felt as happy as I am in this very moment. I'm grateful that we met 3 years ago, for all that you've done for me, the type of person you are, and for the moments we've spent together. I couldn't have asked for a better partner, friend, and boyfriend. You're sweet, funny, smart, brave, and simply amazing. I love you so much, Vladimir Blutmesser. I never want any of this to end." As her words slowly sank in, I realized that I was now the one weeping. It's the greatest feeling in existence: to love dearly and be loved in return. She noticed my tears and did not hesitate to hug me. Once more time stood still as we lost ourselves in each others' gaze. We were about to close the distance between us and lock lips again, when something abruptly roused me from my slumber and brought me back to reality.

I sat up from the sofa and realized that it was my phone ringing what woke me. On one hand I was slightly pissed and aggravated for being denied sleep yet again, but I was, at the same time, glad that the dream ended before it carried on any further. Rather than ignore my phone, I picked it up and saw an unknown number trying to contact me. It piqued my curiosity, but nevertheless I answered the call.

"This is Vlad."

"Hey Vlad, it's Maka. How are you?"

"I'm alright I guess. How about you? And how did you get my phone number?"

"I'm okay. I got your phone number from Ms. Marie"

"Ah, I see."

"Hey listen. I wanted to check and see if Kid ever gave you his address?"

"Nope he hasn't. I don't think he even established a time for when he wanted us to come over."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I asked and he said he'll be expecting us at 6."

"Alright then."

"I'm going to bring cupcakes, Soul will provide music, Tsubaki said she'll be bringing homemade cheesy chicken tacos, and Kid of course will provide the entertainment."

"Cool beans. I'll bring extra food and drinks."

"If you could, that would be awesome. Thanks Vlad."

"No problem. Let me know if anything else is required."

"I don't think so. At least not now for the time being. Anyway, I'll text you the address."

"Sweet. Thanks a bunch, Maka."

"You're welcome. See you tonight, Vlad. Bye."

"Adios."

I hung up and saw it was only 11:50. I got up and stretched while thinking of how to kill time for seven hours. I looked around the living room, and saw it was mostly clean. My phone buzzed again and saw Maka's text message which had the address. I looked over at my shelf of movies and remembered I bought the latest Blu-Ray disc set of my favorite TV show. Everyone else was a season ahead of me, but now I can catch up and see what I've missed. Yet before I lied back down on the sofa to binge watch, I decided to quickly shower and eat something. After taking a relaxing hot shower and getting dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, I checked my fridge to see that luck was on my side. There were two steaks and a bag of french fries in the freezer. I poured the french fries onto a cookie sheet and put them in the oven to bake, then I grabbed a pan from one of the cabinets, some tongs, a bottle of olive oil, a stick of butter, some spices and started cooking. Within five minutes I had two tender ribeyes, and some hot french fries. Eagerly I brought my meal over to the table and returned to the fridge to grab two beers to go with my "brunch". Once my plate was empty, I got up to throw the empty bottles in the recycling bin, washed the dishes, and retreated to the living room. Again I returned to my previous spot where I popped the disc into the Blu-Ray player, sat down on the sofa, and began my episode marathon.

Several hours passed and after watching the sixth episode, I checked the time which read 5:29. I shut off the TV and the Blu-Ray player, and put on my black high tops, and walked to the garage with my keys in hand. Once I was in my car, I opened the garage with my remote, and drove onto the road shutting the garage on my way out. From there I drove towards Death City, and stopped at the nearest store upon entering. I grabbed and bought 3 boxes of soda, salsa, nacho cheese dip, and bags of tortilla chips, and began to search for Kid's house. Finding his place wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, because from the supermarket I was only 15 minutes away. The other thing that made finding his house much easier was how easily the house stood out from among the rest of the neighborhood. I found his address, parked out on the street behind Soul's motorcycle, and walked through the entry gates and up to the front door with handfuls of groceries. For some odd reason I felt nervous about going in as I approached the door. Part of me wanted to just leave the stuff on the doorstep and turn away. Yet before I could begin to go with my plan; the door opened and Kid was greeting me as the loud music coming from inside resonated outside. "Ah welcome Vlad, I'm glad you could join us. Come inside, the others are waiting."

I followed him inside and we talked as he led me towards the living room. "I trust you didn't have any trouble finding my address?" While walking and talking my eyes wandered about, and took notice of the décor. "Not really, thanks to GPS. I must say, you have quite the lavish abode, Kid. I'm impressed by your meticulous attention to detail." He nodded and smiled broadly at my compliment but said nothing in reply. In any case we entered the living room where Soul, Black Star, Liz, and Patty were sitting on the floor playing video games. Kid then cleared his throat to get their attention, and instantly Soul paused the game. Black Star was annoyed that he paused the game abruptly and asked, "What are you doing, Soul? Trying to cheat just because I'm winning?" Soul scoffed at Black Star's statement and said, "No stupid. I paused because Kid's trying to say something." They all turned around saw I arrived and acknowledged my presence. All of them at once greeted me in unison, "Hey Vlad, what's up?" "Hey guys, hope you're hungry. I brought snacks." In a millisecond Soul and Black Star sat up and raced towards me to take the chips, dips, and soda from me and wasted no time in feasting. I was mostly surprised to see them playing on a Nintendo 64 game console. I didn't think anyone else had one, let alone one that still functioned. While they played I looked at the four of them, and noticed that Crona was nowhere to be found. "Hey Kid, where's Crona?" "He said that he was on his way, but that was an hour ago," Soul said. I couldn't help but feel worried that something had happened to him. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and said to Kid, "I'll be right back. I'm going to see if Crona needs a ride here." Kid said, "That's a good idea. He stays in the DWMA Dungeon Rooms, so he shouldn't be too far away, but regardless we'll be here waiting for you guys." I rushed out of Kid's house, got in my car and drove towards the school.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13  
" _I think we should be leaving now._ "  
"Yeah that's probably a good idea."  
Pulp Fiction 1994

I wasted no time in jogging towards my car and driving towards the DWMA. Along the way I drove slowly to make sure I wouldn't drive past Crona by mistake. As I drove down the streets, I looked both ways and rolled my windows down in order for me to get his attention in case I spotted him. I was approaching near an alley when I suddenly heard rambunctious cheering, laughter, and the desperate shouts of despair. Hearing the commotion caused me to suspect Crona's whereabouts. I stopped the car, slammed the door shut, got out in a hurry, and what I saw upon entering the alley filled me with aggravation. A group of lowlife scumbags, whose ages ranged anywhere from sixteen to twenty, were huddled around taunting and kicking at someone who was on the ground cowering and trying to protect themselves in vain. The victim was curled in a fetal position, and was covered in garbage, undoubtedly from the nearby dumpster. The moment I spotted the pink hair, and recognized Crona's voice pleading for a reprieve, I growled with unfathomable wrath, and vile thoughts of hostility coursed through my mind. I walked towards them and hollered to get their attention, "HEY YOU WITLESS PARASITES! YOU WANT A FIGHT SO BADLY, THEN STEP TO ME!" As my roar resonated within the alley, they shifted their focus from their battered prey, turned around, and all of them stepped towards me leaving my friend beaten, covered in trash, bruised and in tears on the ground.

The leader of the group who smelled of cheap whiskey and cigarette smoke walked up to me snickering and asked before he spat in my face, "What the Hell do you want, fuckface? You gonna try to rescue your little bitch girlfriend here?" As his spit oozed down my face, through clenched teeth I hissed, "You miserable pussies didn't even have the balls to give him a fair chance to defend himself, and you dare to act so tough. I pity you lot of spineless, assholes. Because by the time I'm through with you, they'll have to scrape off the ground and cremate whatever remains of your carcasses." They must have thought I was either joking or insane, because they all began to bellow with uncontrollable laughter. Through their braying they asked idiotic things such as; "What are you gonna do?" "You gonna take on all of us by yourself?" "Are you blind, or straight up stupid, bro? There's six of us and only one of you." "We're gonna put you in the hospital, you don't stand a chance against all of us." "Why don't you just piss off before you end up like that weak loser on the ground?" They continued to mock me to their hearts' content, but after some time, I forced two long blades to emerge from the palms of my hands. They glistened in the sunlight, but instantly turned black and seethed with an aura of putrefaction. I also allowed my soul wavelength to expand to harrowing levels in a show of haunting power. Immediately their laughter ceased and they stood on guard. I stared intently at the six of them and addressed them through a morbid smile "The first mistake you made was assaulting my friend. Your second mistake was royally pissing me off to no end. However your worst error in judgment was grossly underestimating me. You struck out three times in one instant, and now you're about to die slowly and painfully at the hands of a Death Scythe. I am Vladimir Blutmesser, and I will take great pleasure in torturing all of you."

Upon hearing my words, most of them trembled with crippling fear and scurried away like scolded dogs with their tails between their legs. Yet the leader of the bunch and a friend of his stood their ground showing no fright, and faced me in utter defiance. I found their display of courage to be quite amusing so I made the blades protruding from my hands vanish, but approached them nonetheless. "So, you're gonna put up a fight then? Good, but before I dismember you both, I'd like to know what your names are so I have something to carve on your tombstones." The leader's friend wasted no time in transforming into his weapon form; a large war hammer with a sharp back spike. He landed in the other's hands to which he swung his weapon several times as he boastfully introduced himself and his partner, "I'm Brad Matthews. A War Hammer Meister, and this is my partner Tyler Swanson. We are slayers of evil, and we will crush every bone in your body." Unimpressed with the duo along with their miserable flaunting, I scoffed as I jokingly rubbed my fists against my eyes and started taunting them. "Oh dear me! Dumb and Dumber are gonna give me boo-boos." While cracking my knuckles and popping my neck I rolled my eyes and insulted them one more time before the inevitable fight ensued. "Oh, how convenient. A large, slow and clumsy weapon for an idiot mouth-breather like yourself. This is going to be easier than lighting my next cigarette."

My barb must have depleted their very limited patience because Brad leaped with his hammer in his hands swinging it down towards me. His attack was absurdly easy to avoid and I stepped away from the impact area. The blunt end of the hammer crashed against the ground crumbling the cement, and I didn't hesitate to throw a right hook. He did surprise me with his quick reflexes by lifting his arm up to block my punch. "Too slow, idiot!" he yelled. "Now it's our turn!" He then swung his war hammer with the back spike aimed towards me, but I fell back thus avoiding contact. As the momentum from his attack brought his hammer to crash into a concrete wall and get stuck, I took the opportunity to commence my brutal assault. I sprung up to my feet and launched my fist once more, upper-cutting him right on his chin. As my fist made contact with his chin, I could hear and feel bone cracking and heard his pain laced whimper. Although my attack stunned him briefly, I wasted no time in headbutting him in the nose and kicked him against a wall. He staggered while bleeding profusely with his weapon still in his hands, but as he collided against the wall he dropped his weapon. I sprinted towards him and drove my shoulders ferociously into his ribs. The impact was enough to not only fracture his ribs, but also embed him in a crater within the wall. He slid down to the ground bleeding and unconscious while Tyler, his weapon partner, reverted back to his human form charging towards me to defend his Meister. His right hand converted to its weapon form and he swung at me maniacally while screaming with each swing. His attacks were pathetically facile to avoid, and I was grew horribly bored and irritated of dodging his primitive attacks. I saw his arm descending towards me and caught it. He desperately attempted to free his arm from my vice-like grip, but I didn't hesitate to break it despite his punches, kicks and bites to my own arm. The sound of bone snapping reverberated within the confines of the alley which was then followed with ear-splitting howls and screams of agony. Tyler collapsed to the ground cradling his contorted arm, while gasping heavily and demonstrating his very colorful vocabulary. I approached him slowly and when he saw my proximity to him, he began to kick furiously to keep me at bay. His left foot came towards me and I clutched his leg with the same iron grip I used on his arm. Amidst his squirming, pleas and the plethora of kicks I received from him I, once more, proceeded to shatter another of his limbs, and he responded with anguish-laced cries.

Now towering ominously next to Tyler's beaten body, I gazed deep into his eyes which displayed evident horror. I frowned and spoke sternly to him as he trembled on the ground. "If you have any last words, now's the time to speak your mind." Not even a second passed and tears streamed from his eyes as he began to cry. "Please, don't do this. I'm sorry. I'll never bother your friend again. Just let me go. I'M BEGGING YOU PLEASE!" He gasped as I drew my right hand back from which a double-edged blade protruded from my palm and lunged it towards him. Tyler sobbed and whimpered as he slowly looked to his right and saw the very blade from my palm pierced deeply into the ground just inches away from his face. I scoffed and addressed him one last time. "Listen very carefully, you pathetic piece of excrement. If I ever find out that you or any of your cowardly compatriots harass or attack ANYONE associated with me, I will hunt you down and crucify you outside the city. Honorable and revered Weapons and Meisters, my ass. Fuck you." I knelt down, scooped him up and slung him and his Meister over my shoulders with ease. The same dumpster they used to cover Crona in filth was still open, and I dumped the two inside shutting the lid afterward. "Now you both lie in that which describes you both as individuals: trash."

I dusted my hands along with whatever debris lingered on my clothes from the ordeal. I then looked down and saw traces of dried blood on my shirt but shrugged with indifference. Walking over to Crona, I extended a hand which he accepted and walked with him towards my car. "Are you alright, Crona?" He looked down and answered timidly while fidgeting with his hands. "Y-yeah I'm fine, thanks. My black blood already healed m-my injuries." I nodded at his reply, opened the trunk, grabbed a towel and laid it over the seat. Crona entered my car in his timid demeanor, and I got in the driver seat. Before we drove away, I looked towards him and the intense sadness emanating from him broke my silence. "Crona, would you mind telling me how everything happened? I'd like to know in case Lord Death, or anyone asks." He looked down and told me everything with tears steadily flowing down his somber face. "I-I was walking to Kid's house, when they saw me and started following me. I walked faster t-thinking they'd leave me alone. They started throwing empty bottles at me, called me awful names, and when I walked into the alley, they c-chased me. I didn't know how to deal with them. They were from the Academy, and I didn't want to get in trouble. So I let them beat me." He still looked down at the floor and wept silently as I took in every word he spoke. After a few moments I sighed and looked at him. "Crona, look at me." He slowly looked up yet refused to really make eye contact and I resumed speaking to him. "I'm sorry for what happened to you just now. Had I known of the morons that linger in this town, I would have picked you up myself and offered you a ride to Kid's house." He said nothing, and I took his silence as a means to continue. "I'm going to make you a promise." Instantly I got his attention and he looked into my eyes as I resumed. "From now on, whenever we go anywhere, I will personally come and pick you up. That way; you're not alone, and no one will bully you ever again. Would you like that?" He continued to look into my eyes and saw the sincerity in my oath. He smiled vaguely, nodded silently and sat back relaxing into his seat. Seeing him smile, and seeing his frayed nerves finally at ease brought a smile of my own to my face.

I got the car running and we drove to the school. I had the song " _Surf Riders_ " by The Lively Ones playing and was silently bobbing my head along to the beat. Crona however sat silently while still smiling, but lacked any interest in the music. Crona realized where we were going and asked as I drove. "Why are we going back to the school, Vlad?" We arrived at the entrance and I chuckled as I asked him, "You wouldn't want to go to Kid's house smelling like trash would you?" Instantly he shook his head and I smirked. "Go shower, Crona. I'll be right here waiting for you, take your time." He nodded, got out of my car and ran up the stairs of the school as I sat and waited for him while smoking in my car. About five minutes later my phone starts ringing and I see it's Maka calling. "Shit. She's probably wondering what's taking so long." I threw my cigarette out the window and answered my phone.

"Hey Maka. What's up?"  
"Hey Vlad. Where are you guys? We've been waiting for nearly half an hour. Are you alright?"  
 **(I sighed and braced myself for the Hell that was to come after I told her what happened.)  
** "Ummm...yeah, about that. There was an incident when I went looking for Crona."  
 **(Immediately Maka understandably sounded upset and worried about Crona's welfare.)**  
"Where is he?! Is he alright?! What happened, Vlad?! Answer me, now!"  
 **(I had to hold the phone away from my ear to avoid going deaf in my early twenties.)**  
"Maka, please calm down. Crona's alright. We'll both tell you what happened when we arrive, but relax and know I'm telling the truth when I say Crona's fine. He's getting changed and we should be over soon."  
 **(Maka sighed and calmed down; because her tone returns to its tranquil state.)**  
"Alright then. We'll be here waiting for you guys. Just please hurry."  
"Yes ma'am. I'll message you when we're on our way."

Just after I hung up the phone Crona came flying down the stairs and towards my car. emWell, speak of the Devil, /emI thought while chuckling. Crona reached my car, got in, buckled up and looked ready to rock and roll. As he was getting situated in my car I sent Maka the message: [On our way now]. "Ready to go, Crona?" I asked. He nodded in confirmation, to which I turned my car on, and we finally sped off to Kid's house.

 **Hello everyone. Sorry I took so long to update this story. Many things happened and got in the way of my writing, but have no fear. I now have less obstructions to keep me from working frequently on this story. I hope you like this chapter. It took a lot of time to proofread, revise, and assure its quality. The next chapter should take less time to be uploaded, so stay tuned. Thanks again for keeping up with the story and maintaining interest. Until next time.**

-Lonelyphantom21


	14. Chapter 14

Upon arriving at Kid's house, Crona and I saw Maka standing outside with her arms crossed and leaning up against the house. We both could only imagine how long she was waiting for us and what her mood would be like. "Listen, Crona. When we walk up to the house, let me talk to Maka. I'll explain everything to her and the others once we get inside, OK?" He silently nodded and we got out of the car. Maka watched us with utmost scrutiny walk past the gates and approach the doorway. The look upon her face went from unease and concern to utter shock. "What took you guys so long? I've been sitting here waiting for you to come and- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ON YOUR SHIRT, VLAD?!" I glanced in the direction her eyes were locked on and remembered the traces of blood on the neck of my shirt. I opened my mouth ready to calm her and suggest we go inside to talk when Crona sheepishly and abruptly answered; "Vlad got into a fight." I sighed in slight annoyance, bowing my head and pinching the bridge of my nose while thinking: _Damn it, Crona! Well, here comes the hurricane..._

Maka instantly glared at me evidently livid as though she was ready to fight me as well. As she balled her fists tightly her face started turning as red as her skirt. She began her rather loud interrogation while clenching her fists at her side. If anything, it wouldn't have surprised me if she attempted to strike at me at any moment. "Was that your Soul Wavelength I sensed then?! Who did you fight, Vlad?! Why would you get involved in something so stupid?! What kind of Death Scythe pulls an idiotic stunt like that?! And what happened to the other..."

As she continued to yell a rapid volley of questions, things took a worse turn when everyone who was inside the house came rushing outside to see what all the commotion was about. If their mere presence alone wasn't enough to really boil my blood, then their silence truly felt like salt had been poured and pressed deeply into my wounds. Kid looked stunned, Tsubaki had her hands placed over her mouth covering her mortified expression, Black-Star scoffed at me, Soul wouldn't even look at me, the Thompsons mirrored Maka in glaring in my direction, and Crona was sitting on the staircase with his eyes closed tightly and his hands pressed to his ears to vainly nullify the barrage of shouts. I had never felt so irate in my entire life than until that very moment. I was not even allowed an opportunity to genuinely defend and explain myself. For in their eyes; I was undoubtedly and ultimately guilty.

I couldn't tolerate being scolded and yelled at like some low dog any further. My very scarce patience finally depleted and I sighed in exasperation. Hoping to finally silence Maka's ongoing tirade, I held my right hand out signifying for her to stop. She was just about to resume her rant until I commenced to speak. "Yes it was my wavelength that fluctuated sometime ago", I hissed. "I fought a group of stupid assholes from the DWMA who were harassing and attacked Crona. I beat and nearly slaughtered two of them to defend a friend. And I'm the type of Death Scythe who shows no mercy to anyone who dares cross me. As for the two imbeciles I fought; they are lying in a dumpster beaten to a pulp by my hand. There, are you fucking happy now? I truly can't believe you would honestly believe you would think me capable of foolishly hurting people without just cause. If you think I'm such a horrible person, I'll go forth, resign from my post and you all can find yourselves another group leader who's better qualified."

By the time I finished, my lips were pressed into a straight line as I glared at each of them. Even after I nearly lost my composure, I was still seething with unfathomable rage. Everyone was quiet for quite some time despite the thick tension looming amongst us, and it was Maka who finally broke the silence. She took a few steps forward, looked down and asked with softness present in her voice."Crona, is this true? Were there people hurting you?" The others turned their attention to Crona who slowly looked up at her and answered. "Y-yes it's all tr-true. He fought t-them to protect m-me." Immediately their expressions shifted first from anxiety, then to astonishment and lastly to absolute shame. Crona gradually rose to his feet and what he said next stunned all of us, myself included. He was staring at the ground as he began to cry once more and pleaded amid his sobs. "P-please don't fight anymore. I-I don't know how to deal with my friends y-yelling and fighting e-each o-other." The depth of such a statement elicited from Crona impacted everyone of us gathered on the steps of Kid's house. Maka wasted no time in rushing over and hugging Crona tightly in order to comfort him. He in return melted into her embrace and wept in her arms. The others said nothing but continued looking on at Crona and Maka.

I remained silent while still registering what Crona said. I was mainly taken aback at the fact that he even considered me his friend. I haven't been associated with any of them for even a month, yet he trusted me. After years of seclusion and solitude, I would have never expected that anyone would even call me their friend. Maka eventually let go of Crona so she could approach and address me with contrition written across her face. "I'm sorry, Vlad. I shouldn't have yelled and judged you unfairly of something without hearing your side of things. You're not a bad leader or a terrible friend. The fact that you stood up for Crona alone proves it. Could you ever forgive me for thinking so poorly of you, please? I'd like for you to be not just the leader of our group; but also our friend."

I turned my attention to her. I was still frowning as she held her hand out to me, and smiling sweetly. I stared skeptically at her for some time, and eventually my frown faded and was replaced by a faint smile as I stretched my hand out to take hold of hers. I accepted her apology, and her token of friendship as we then shook each others' hand in silence. Afterward, Soul, Kid, Black-Star, and the others followed suit in apologizing to me individually and accepting me as a new member of their group of friends. After all apologies were accepted, and my hand was shook to the near point of falling off, I cleared my throat to address everyone gathered on the steps. For a moment my face became stern as I looked on at everyone, and spoke. "Now that all that's have been taken care of, there's something serious that I have to get off my chest." Before proceeding, I paused to carefully scrutinize their attentiveness as a wicked grin lingered across my face. I then pushed my way through everyone and took off into a sprint as I yelled out while cackling whimsically, "LAST ONE TO THE LIVING ROOM HAS TO SIT THROUGH EXCALIBUR'S 5 HOUR STORY TELLING PARTY!"

Instantly I heard their dismay and saw over my shoulder their sporadic means of obtaining any advantage over each other. I evidently made it there first and eagerly waited for the others to arrive while wondering who would be the unlucky sucker in last place. Not soon after a very loud collection of thundering footsteps were heard stampeding through the halls of the Manor and everyone was frantic in their efforts to outrun one another. I found their bickering and shoving to be comical, but soon many entered the living room leaving Liz alone on the other side of the threshold. When it dawned on her that she was last, she stared at all of us in disbelief with her mouth agape as her legs wobbled and she fell to the floor while whining incessantly. "AWWW NO FAIR! I SERIOUSLY HATE YOU GUYS!" She had her fists clenched to her sides as she stomped and pouted while entering the living room with a dark cloud hovering over her head.

Once we spent a good five minutes teasing and laughing at Liz throwing her conniption fit, all of us gathered in the living room area in a big circle and enjoyed an amazing meal. Tsubaki's home made tacos were the epitome of delectable and she made three large platters of them, one of which was solely meant for Ragnarok who accepted without complaint or protest. He tilted the platter and allowed its entire contents to fall into his extended mouth. After he chewed every last bite, he licked the entire thing clean, unleashed an echoing burp and melted back into Crona's body. We watched the whole scene in bemusement and laughed soon after. Maka's chocolate cupcakes were sweet and moist, and so as not to make a mess thus upsetting Kid; we ate what remained of the chips and dip with utmost care. We all ate to our stomachs' content, and when we finished we expressed our gratitude to our two MVP cooks who smiled proudly. I somewhat struggled to get on my feet as I stood up to help Maka, Tsubaki, and Kid gather the dirty dishes and take them to the kitchen. At first Kid refused our assistance, but once I reasoned with him; "as his guests, we should at least respect our host", he happily consented.

Soon I returned to the living room and joined Patty, Black-Star and Soul who sat themselves in front of the TV and we competed against each other in very intense games of Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, Mario Party 2, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, and 007: Golden Eye. Patty, I realized, was actually a very formidable player. I barely bested her a handful of times, but she proved to be quite the force to be reckoned with. That of course didn't sit well with Black-Star who would frequently complain and demand excessive rematches on the grounds that: "No way a God like himself was gonna accept defeat so easily." As the four of us laughed, yelled, and high-fived each other during our matches, Maka, Tsubaki, Liz, Crona and Kid sat and watched us and chatted amongst themselves. Throughout the evening Liz, Maka and Tsubaki with cameras in hand snapped pictures of everyone having a great time. When we got bored of playing video games, Patty ran upstairs quickly and returned with two boxes in her hands. She had a morbid Cheshire Smile as she presented the two games she challenged us to: "What Do You Meme" and "Cards Against Humanity". Few of us were reluctant to participate while others, including myself, enthusiastically accepted her challenge. So as to further liven the atmosphere, Soul and Kid turned on the living room stereo and had a playlist playing in the background with songs by Gorillaz, Blur, The Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other bands.

We had so much fun cutting loose having random dancing fits, singing along to some songs, playing air-guitar, taking pictures of ourselves making silly poses and faces and just acting like complete dorks. After multiple bathroom, soda and laughing fit breaks, we eventually completed two rounds of each game in 2 ½ hours. We realized then that it was almost 11 o'clock and despite all the caffeine and sugar we had some of us were almost falling asleep. Liz who sat next to Kid began to bob her head with exhaustion, leaned in and laid her head on his right shoulder. Soul and Maka were sitting together on the opposite end of the sofa and were practically cuddling as their eyes nearly fluttered shut. Kid then stood up and clapped his hands to draw our gathering to a close. We rose to our feet and made our way to the door. Kid saw us out and bade us goodnight after thanking us for coming. Soul and Maka walked to their motorcycle and waved to us before they took off into the night. I offered to drive Tsubaki, Black-Star and Crona home which they accepted. I led them to my car, opened the trunk so Tsubaki could put away the platters, and unlocked the doors for everyone to get in. Crona rode shotgun as Tsubaki sat in the backseat while Black-Star, once more, laid himself in the backseat with his arms crossed over his chest and his head in Tsubaki's lap. I got in the driver seat, plugged my phone into the stereo to listen to music while driving and to drown out Black-Star's dreadful snoring.

I drove towards the DWMA first since it was nearby and upon arrival I parked the car. Crona unbuckled his seat belt, and thanked me for driving him back. I nodded and assured him that it wasn't a problem since I did promise him I'd transport him wherever was necessary. He waved goodbye to us before walking up the steps to the school. Before I resumed driving, I looked in the rear view mirror and asked Tsubaki if she'd like to come up front to sit more comfortably. She accepted and slowly got out of the car, came to the front passenger side and entered the car. She buckled her seat belt before I turned the car in the opposite direction and started driving to their house. As I drove one of my favorite songs played and I slightly turned up the volume prior to singing. "I'm waiting for the night to fall, I know that it will save us all. When everything's dark, keeps us from the stark reality." I kept singing while driving, but stole a glance at Tsubaki who was already looking in my direction. We both caught ourselves making direct eye contact with each other, and in that moment I stopped singing. The moment our eyes met I couldn't bring myself to tear my gaze away from her. The way she looked at me, the vague redness creeping its way upon her cheeks, her sweet and meek smile and the faint shine of her eyes in the dark beguiled me. Suddenly I remembered I was driving and shifted my focus back to driving while silently cursing the overwhelming butterflies I was feeling in my stomach and the blatantly apparent blush on my cheeks. She in response turned to look out the window while fidgeting with her hands in her lap. "S-sorry", I stammered. "Thought it'd be best that I focus on the road." She said nothing but giggled before replying, "It's fine, wouldn't want us to crash." For the sake of regaining my composure I resumed singing as I drove, but then she broke the silence with a question.

"What's this song called, Vlad?"  
"'Waiting For The Night' by Depeche Mode."  
"It's beautiful".  
"Yes it is. It's one of my personal favorite songs."  
"What type of music do you like, by the way?"  
"I like a handful of genres, but my main two favorites are rock and heavy metal."  
"Oh."  
"What about you? What styles of music do you like?"  
"I like a little of everything."  
"That's cool. Perhaps sometime I can introduce you to some good songs from a few of my favorite artists."  
"Yeah, I'd like that."

We arrived a few minutes later, and I parked the car in front of their house before shutting it off. We sat in silence as Black-Star still lay in my backseat snoring loudly. I mustered all the valor within me as I contemplated doing something bold. What I asked next brought about another furious blush across my face and it took sheer willpower to not stammer or sound awkward. "How does tomorrow sound?" My question certainly caught her off guard as she looked perplexed and stayed quiet for much longer than I expected. _God damn it! What in the Blue Hell were you thinking asking such a thing?! She's probably terrified of you now! Way to go, idiot. You certainly blew it now, and you might as w-_ "I'd love to. How does around 3 o'clock sound?" My inner ranting abruptly ceased and I was now the baffled one sitting silently. I smiled sheepishly and replied, "Sure, that's fine. Let me give you my phone number." She then dug through her bag and pulled her phone out. I took it in my trembling hands and struggled to properly type my number without making a further fool of myself. I then drew my phone from my pocket and handed it to her. On the bright side, she too couldn't control her shaking hands as she typed her number. I couldn't help but discretely smile like an idiot at the fact we both seemed flustered in each others' company. She handed back my phone and we sat in silence for a while longer as we listened to Black-Star's deafening snoring. It then dawned on me that we agreed to come together tomorrow afternoon, yet we left the matter of Black-Star unresolved. "Hey, will Black-Star mind if we're to hang out tomorrow?" She pondered that for a few moments until she drew out her phone again and began to type something. After a few moments she smiled again and she said, "I convinced Soul and Kid to invite him to a Guy's Night tomorrow." I grinned broadly and whispered, "yes!"

I then opened my car door in order for me to walk to the passenger side and let her out of my car. Before she let herself out of the car she woke Black-Star by gingerly shaking him. He slowly sat up while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and the thin line of drool from his lip. He yawned as he exited my car and muttered, "Thanks for not waking me up with the bull-horn this time." I snickered at his comment and bowed dramatically as I replied, "You're quite welcome señor." He made his way inside and I handed Tsubaki her purse as she stood at the base of the stairs. "Thank you for driving us home, Vlad." I smiled feebly and replied, "It's no trouble at all. Have a good night." She gave me another quick hug and said "goodnight" before ascending the stairs to her house and closing the door behind her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello again everyone. I apologize for having taken so long in publishing yet another chapter, but I hope the wait is worthwhile. Before reading: once again I must emphasize personally that I don't own any songs, movies, TV-shows or anything that's mentioned/referenced in this story. Nevertheless I hope you all enjoy the content**.

I remained silently still for a few moments savoring the brief and now rapidly fleeing sensation of her warmth radiating within my skin. As soon as the sweet remains of the embrace no longer lingered, I regained my composure and began my voyage towards home. I got back in my car and sped off into the night. I navigated through cobblestone streets, intersections, a handful of stops, and soon I was leaving Death City and soon approaching my house. Sometime as I was driving, I heard strange sets of sounds coming from the back of my car. At first I think it was a mechanical issue, and then it dawned on me: I forgot to give Tsubaki her three platters. For a few seconds I contemplated driving back, but instead I chose to drive up the isolated hill where my house sits. I pulled into the garage, got out of the car, took the platters out of my car and entered my house.

I made my way into the kitchen, and began thoroughly scrubbing and rinsing all the grime and remaining traces of Ragnarok's drool. Once they were squeaky clean I set them to dry and checked the time on the stove clock. It was only midnight, but I didn't feel a single trace of exhaustion. So to pass time and to ease any concern of welcoming Tsubaki to a filthy house: I went through every room in my house cleaning and tidying it until I felt satisfied. That feat only took about thirty minutes, and I decided to begin choosing every piece of music I wanted to show her. I walked into my music room, and scanned every shelf full of CD's, vinyl records, and picked out ten different albums. My main focus in picking every song was to avoid songs that sounded too aggressive or somber. I stacked my selections on top of my record player, and felt that my work was done for the night. I shut the light off in the room, closed the door, and decided to prepare for bed. However before I retreated to my bedroom, I walked into the kitchen one last time just to retrieve two cold beers and made my way to my room. I took my beers with me into the bathroom, undressed, and took a steaming shower while enjoying shower beers. Not long after I changed into my sleepwear: an old black t-shirt, and black pajama pants with skull and crossbones prints all over them. I crawled underneath my blanket, lied down, and in a mere matter of moments I was sound asleep.

* * *

 **Dream Sequence**

 _ **I woke up in a forest enveloped completely in darkness and snow. Soon a heavy fog began to swirl amongst the trees making it hard to see in front of me. I sat up and got to my feet with hopes of leaving this cold, surreal environment. As I slowly trekked through the trees I began to hear a faint sound coming from somewhere within the woods. I turned around cautiously to see what it was, but it seemed to be very distant. A deeply repressed fear I had was urging me to ignore it and get out quickly, but the bolder side of me won out and began to guide me deeper into the forestine labyrinth.**_

 _ **It seemed that the closer I got to reaching the source of that strange sound, the louder everything else within the forest became. The wind began to howl fiercely, leaves and branches rustled audibly along with the wind, and the calls of the owls made concentrating nearly impossible. To make matters worse, the fog grew in density as I wandered deeper into the forest. At one point I became careless and paid dearly for it when I stepped poorly in between two trees and tumbled down a hill. As I helplessly descended downwards, I vainly reached out for anything I could use to stop my fall, but it proved to be a challenging feat with every rock and tree my body collided against wracking my body with excruciating pain.**_

 _ **Eventually I mercifully reached the bottom of the hill. However it goes without saying that I took quite an extensive amount of damage. There were severely sharp pains coursing through my chest, head, limbs, and I could taste a vast sum of blood which nearly made me choke. Regardless of my anguish I once more rose to my feet gradually while my blood stained the snow with scarlet droplets. I then realized that I was much closer to the sound's origin. Soon I deciphered the sound to actually be a medley of cries, sobs and whimpers. I feared that whoever that was had suffered the same fate as I, and was badly injured as well. So I began to limp with haste towards the unknown forlorn person. I entered a clearing that was somehow untouched by the fog and who it was I saw within stunned and horrified me as never before in my life.**_

 _ **By way of the pale moonlight in a starless sky: I made out the weeping silhouette to be that of my beloved Meister. She was kneeling in the snow with her hands concealing her face, and her shoulders shook with every sob she tried to suppress. Even as she cried she looked absolutely beautiful and it pained me to see her tormented with such sorrow. I slowly and silently approached her, knelt in front of her, and embraced her lithe, trembling figure tightly in my arms. At first she was tense, but soon she sank into my arms and her crying ceased as we spoke to each other.**_

 _ **"V-vlad? Is that you?"**_  
 _ **"Yes, my darling angel. I'm here."**_  
 _ **"I've missed you so much."**_  
 _ **"I've missed you too. I still do with every passing day."**_  
 _ **She withdrew herself slightly and looked upon me before smiling and commenting as her tears evaporated from her lovely visage."You're just as handsome as I remember. Your scars definitely make you look even sexier."**_  
 _ **I chuckled at her odd statement and asked dryly in response. "Oh so I wasn't sexy before huh? Wow, thanks."**_  
 _ **She laughed and hugged me as she reassured me. "You know that's not what I meant, you dork. You'll always be my sweet and adorable Jack."**_  
 _ **The moment she called me by that nickname nearly moved me to tears. It was one of many she associated me with. I kissed the top of her head and whispered in reply. "And you'll always be my lovely Sally, sweetheart. You're still the most beautiful angel to ever walk on this Earth. I love you Sareena."**_  
 _ **She began to cry once more, and I embraced her tightly immediately. I continued to hold her as I whispered with sadness laced in my voice. "I don't want to leave. Especially not without you." She said nothing in return but began to dig her fingers deeply into my back. We held each other in silence for a few moments until I heard something foreboding which made my blood run cold.**_

 _ **A multitude of raspy and hellish voices began to vaguely call out, "Join Us", from beyond the trees. In a matter of moments the inhuman voices grew louder as ghoulish shadow-like creatures lurched towards us. Some of them limped with one or more limbs contorted at unnatural angles or missing altogether, others dug their fingers into the earth crawling with their lower halves missing entirely, and the rest staggered aimlessly for they had no heads. There were at least a hundred or more of these demented shades, and as they drew nearer their calls only grew louder. "JOIN US!", they hissed through clenched teeth, "JOIN US VLADIMIR!" To further heighten my already unparalleled dread, I recognized all of the encroaching specters as former enemies Sareena and I slew. Every unfortunate yet corrupted foe who met their ends by my blade now were within arms reach.**_

 _ **I frantically tried to pull away from Sareena's grasp, but I realized it was no use. In fact her fingers only dug deeper into me until they actually penetrated my flesh. I writhed and screamed in agony as I desperately tried to pry myself from her clutches. She spoke once more, this time her voice was filled with malice in lieu of her sweet and angelic tone. "What's the matter Vlad? You wouldn't leave me again would you? You DID say you would be by my side!" She hissed and spat every word at me. Suddenly I saw her begin to undergo a daunting metamorphosis. Her long and silky hair began to fall in clumps onto the ground, her gentle and beautiful eyes sank into the back of her head leaving behind empty sockets, her teeth began to fall out of her mouth, her nose decayed and followed suit of her teeth. Ultimately her once divine visage now resembled that of a corpse. Then her flesh gradually decomposed and peeled away from her body in heaps. Soon my eidolon's appearance mirrored that of the swarm of wraiths which now completely surrounded us. Their bony and festering hands soon began to tear away at my flesh. All I could do now was resume screaming in anguish as Sareena spoke her final words while maintaining her strong grasp of me. "This is all your fault. You have only yourself to blame. You were too weak and left me to die, Vlad. Now I will drag you down with me where you will suffer and lament forever."**_

* * *

I suddenly woke up screaming and sat up quickly in my bed. After a few moments passed, I calmed down realizing it was only a nightmare. My sleepwear was damp and I felt very cold as I got out of bed. The first thing I decided to do was get something to drink before taking a shower. I made my way to the liquor cabinet in the kitchen and grabbed a small glass along with a bottle of rum which I anticipated would help calm my nerves. Slowly I filled the glass, rose it to my lips and gulped its contents in an instant. The light burn of the alcohol flowed from my throat and soon spread like fire throughout my body thus achieving the anticipated effect.

Not long after I put the liquor away and washed the glass my phone started ringing. Before answering the unknown caller, I glanced at the stove clock which read 10:45 A.M. I fished my phone out of my pocket and saw who was calling me so early prior to finally answering.  
"Hello?"  
"Good morning, Vlad. I hope I didn't wake you."  
I chuckled a bit before responding. "Guten Morgen, Tsubaki. And no you didn't, but better luck next time."  
"Oh darn it. Now my plans are ruined. Thanks a lot Vlad."  
"Well sorry to have disappointed you. Anyway, what's up?"  
"I was wondering, did I leave my platters in your car last night."  
"Yeah you did, silly. But no worries, I washed them for you last night."  
"Thank you, Vlad."  
"You're welcome. You can pick them up later on this afternoon."  
"OK then. See you soon."  
"I look forward to it. Farewell."  
"Bye."

After we hung up I went to the bathroom to get out of my sweat drenched outfit, took a hot shower and got dressed. About five minutes later I stepped out of the shower and went back to my room to change. For that particular day, I decided to wear something that differed from my routine of wearing black. Instead I wore a white long-sleeve shirt whose sleeves I pulled up to my elbows, dark blue jeans, and my black and white sneakers. Feeling satisfied with my outfit I went to the living room to find something I could do to pass the time. I then remembered I had yet to finish watching the remaining episodes of my favorite TV show. Therefore I sat down and watched the last two episodes intently. Once that was over I saw it was two o'clock. I took my phone out and sent Tsubaki a text message. [Hey, are you almost ready?] Just two minutes after I sent it, my phone buzzed upon receiving her reply. [I'm getting ready now. Black-Star just left with Soul and Kid.] I sent her a brief reply asking her to let me know when she would be ready.

In the meantime I wandered into the kitchen and brainstormed something appropriate I could make for dinner later. After checking in the pantry, cupboards and fridge, I settled on making pasta. Although I had most of the essentials, I decided that yet another quick trip to the store was in order for the specific pasta dish I'd be making. Before leaving the house, I took her dishware, set them in the backseat and got in my car. The garage door opened with the push of a button, and I put my aviators on before gunning the engine to life. I reversed out while slowly turning the car around, shifted into first gear, and began my rapid descent downhill. As I reached the bottom I pulled a cigarette from the box in my armrest and turned the volume up as "Fascination Street" by The Cure played on the radio.

Within twenty minutes I arrived at the nearest Death-Mart. Once I found an open parking space I snuffed out my cigarette, got out of the car and walked towards the entrance. I quickly glanced at my watch which read 2:13 P.M. and stopped dead in my tracks when I heard, "Hi Vladimir!"Instantly I looked up and saw Marie approaching me with a shopping cart stocked full of all kinds of groceries. I smiled in response and returned her greeting, "Hallo Frau Stein." (Hello, Lady Stein) She seemed taken aback by my salutation, but continued smiling nevertheless. "How are you? I heard the mission in New York was a success." "Yeah, it was surprisingly easier than I anticipated. And I'm doing well, just though I'd get some groceries." Her smile only grew as she said, "I can certainly see that. Would you like to come over for dinner later? I'm making pot roast and I'm sure Stein would appreciate your visit." I couldn't contain my nervous giggle before answering. "He-he, as much as I'd love to accept your invitation, I will have to decline. I'm expecting company and I'm here to get ingredients for a meal I'll be making." At first she looked disappointed, but then she smiled again and merrily said, "Alright then. But don't be a stranger and stop by. You know you're always welcome." I nodded and thanked Marie for her boundless kindness before bidding her adieu.

Finding the necessary ingredients was a quick and painless endeavor thankfully. In only ten minutes I had a loaf of French bread, spices, Parmesan, Caesar dressing, chicken stock, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. I made it to the registers and waited for my "favorite" cashier to ring up my groceries including the bottle of alcohol. After the whole mess regarding my age and approving my purchases was taken care of, I merely smirked while handing her forty dollars, took my bags and left the store. Just as I reached my car, my phone suddenly buzzed and I took awhile to successfully drag it out of my pocket. I saw Tsubaki's brief, one worded message: [Ready] to which I replied: [Alright. OMW.] I unlocked my car, set the bags in the backseat, and made ready to leave. Maneuvering out of the parking lot was easy and in no time I was getting close to her house. When I arrived she was standing at the base of the stairs waving. Before I brought the car to a complete halt I took the time to gaze in awe at her stunningly alluring appearance. Her ebony hair was not braided in its signature ponytail, but rather into two long pigtail braids which draped over both sides of her collarbone. Instead of the pale yellow dress and white boots that were synonymous with her, her new outfit only enhanced her already overwhelming splendor. She wore a black halter top, gray pants, and black sandals. Her beauty was enriched due to the sunlight which shone down on her. Especially in regards to her smooth, ivory skin: it gleamed with flawless grace. Her black top certainly complimented her pale and lovely complexion. Yet her eyes were also marvels to behold: for they glistened like amethysts in the light.

Once I brought the car to a complete stop, I got out of the car to greet Tsubaki. "Hi again, Vlad", she said warmly. I in exchange quoted Joey Tribbiani from "Friends", "Hey, how you doin'?" She merely giggled at my eccentric greeting and noted a difference in my attire. "Oh wow, you're wearing white instead of black." I grinned and remarked with a shrug, "What are the chances? The one time I don't wear black, you take it upon yourself to dress in dark colors." Nevertheless she got in the passenger seat after I opened her door and closed it for her chivalrously. I then made my way to the other side, sat myself in the driver seat and then we commenced our departure.

Several seconds passed where no words were exchanged between us. However the silence was broken when Tsubaki looked my way and asked with a smile gracing her face. "So how are you today?" I glanced at her for a few moments before looking ahead and answered, "I'm alright. How about you?" She stared ahead and fidgeted with her hands while speaking. "I'm fine. I'm just excited is all." "If you don't mind me asking: what made you accept my invitation last night?" She opened her mouth and was about to speak, but she then paused and stayed quiet for awhile. Once more I worried I had scared her or asked something too outlandish that would make her uneasy. With each silent second that passed, I gradually feared the two worst case scenarios. She'd either misunderstand and think I'm discretely ridiculing her, or perhaps she realized interacting with me on-on-one was a bad idea after all. _Who am I kidding? Even if I smiled more, dressed in lighter colors, it wouldn't be enough to cloak my well known and strongly evident dark persona_ , I thought. Despite the unnerving silence I kept driving and focused on the road while anxiously waiting for her response.

After a while she spoke and what she said next was both surprising and reassuring. "It's because I wanted to get to know you. I've made an effort to learn things about everyone of my friends, and so it wouldn't be fair if I didn't do the same for you. I want to know what kinds of things you like, figure out what we might have in common, and work on avoiding being strangers to each other." I had slight doubt at first regarding her sincerity, but I quelled it for I saw no hint or trace of any ulterior motives or ill intentions. If anything, I surmised it made sense to open up and let her know more about me. After all, before I met everyone, I took some time to read their reports and inquire about them to Stein and Marie. Just to put all uncertainty to rest, I asked, "Why?" "Because you're not just our group leader, or a Death Scythe, you're also, and most importantly, our friend. That's why I agreed to come along. I in return said nothing but smiled and allowed her words to sink in. "I appreciate your company. I promise not to bore you too badly with details about myself." She stifled her urge to laugh and quipped back by saying, "That's OK. That just means I can do the same to you." We both sat and laughed at each others' quips. I then cleared my throat and bashfully said, "On a different subject, you look very pretty." I stole a glance at her after saying that and saw her smile grow. "Aw thank you." "There's no need to thank me for speaking honestly," I replied shyly.

Eventually we got onto the freeway which branched away from Death City. Tsubaki took notice and asked, "Where exactly do you live? How far away is your house?" I didn't reply for sometime until I neared the exit that lead towards the base of the hill. As we ascended I finally answered her, "We're almost there. You'll see where I dwell once we reach the top." We arrived not too long after and Tsubaki stared in awe as she exited the car at my one-story modern house. The exterior was slate gray and black, and made of stone and wood panels. In front of the house stood four tall oak trees which helped shroud the house from plain sight. I withdrew the bags of groceries from the car and closed the passenger door while she continued to gape at the ornate architecture until I cleared my throat to gain her attention. "Would you like to come inside? I assure you the interior is just as impressive." She abruptly snapped out of her trance and asked in wonder, "Is this seriously YOUR house?" I nodded once and said "Yep. It's kind of a gift from my parents." She stared silently at me, and so I began to explain. "When I first enrolled as a student at the DWMA, I was living in a small modest apartment and I had a small job to help pay some expenses while studying. But after successfully becoming a Death Scythe, my parents were so proud that they insisted on commissioning for a nice house to be built for me. I told them I wanted something humble, but they said the house must befit a Death Scythe." I started walking towards the entrance and she strode quickly to catch up as I made my way towards the entrance. "Come on, I wager you'll be just as flabbergasted when you walk inside."

I opened the door and stepped aside in order to let her enter first. She passed through the front door, and walked into an immaculate house with pitch black walls, high ceilings, refined black furniture, and polished mahogany floors. As she took gradual steps past the entryway I simply said, "Welcome to my solitary sanctuary. You're welcome to accommodate yourself to your liking while I go put these bags in the kitchen. You can also come with me if you wish." I began to walk towards the kitchen as she followed me and looked around at the décor. She paused momentarily and looked at a handful of banner flags that hung on the walls. "Tear-jar-yen? How do you pronounce this Vlad? And what are all these flags from?" I couldn't suppress the bubbling laughter I was holding but composed myself after a few moments and vocalized the foreign name correctly. "Oh my sweet summer child," I chided humorously. "That's House Targaryen, and all those banners represent the noble houses from 'A Song Of Ice And Fire'. It's a book series and it has a pretty enticing TV show. Have you heard of it?" She merely stared at me and shook her head but then exclaimed, "Oh wait! Maka said she read a book series like that. Isn't one of the books 'Game of Thrones'?" I nodded and said, "That's the first book in the series. Perhaps sometime I'll lend you my collection of the seasons." She smiled and said, "I sure could use something new to watch other than cartoons that Black-Star enjoys or all those cheesy soap operas Liz likes to watch." We entered the kitchen where I set the bags on the counter and pulled the bottle of wine out. As I opened it, I turned to her and asked, "Can I offer you something to drink? I have water, soda, tea, wine, what would you like?" I waited for her reply and she then made her request, "May I have a glass of wine please?" I smiled and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, poured scarlet hued liquid into both glasses and handed her one. She accepted it, took a small sip, and hummed with satisfaction. "This is good. What kind is this?" "Pinot Noir," I said with a grin. "How does a tour of my home sound?" She nodded and followed me out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

We passed through an arched entrance where a long table sat in the middle with twelve intricately carved wooden chairs surrounding it. The entire northern wall of the room consisted of large windows and in the center of the table sat a black candelabra that held three white candles. "As you can see this is the dining room. Unfortunately, it hardly gets any use since I alone live here." She looked on with something akin to sadness, which I noticed, and asked, "What's wrong?" She turned to face me and asked, "How can you live all alone in a house that's isolated from other people?" I meekly shrugged and said, "It's not all that bad. I don't have obnoxious neighbors, I can be as loud as I want to whenever I please, and it's a paradise away from the chaos of the city. I like my seclusion because I feel more at peace without worrying about masking my eccentric lifestyle to other people." Her frown vanished and was replaced with a small smile as she asked with hope in her voice, "Do you think you could ever invite the others to come here?" "I wouldn't mind it at all. Maybe next time we all have free time we can all gather here." Suddenly her phone started buzzing, and she looked at me apologetically and asked, "Would you excuse me for a few minutes?" I grinned and said, "I'll be in the hallway. Take your time."

I was leaning against the wall taking leisurely sips of my drink when Tsubaki poked her head from the dining room entrance. She walked over and said with remnants of a blush on her cheeks, "Sorry about that. It was Maka who called me just now." "Is everything alright?" "She asked me if I wanted to join her and the Thompson Twins to go shopping and get our nails done, but I kinda told her I'm here with you." Instantly I felt a looming dread wash over me after she said that. _Oh shit! I don't want her or the others to start gossiping!_ "Oh, and what did she say?" She smiled deviously and said, "Her exact words were: 'Take care of yourself Tsubaki, OK? And if any funny business happens, I'll find out where he lives and give him a lifetime supply of Maka-chops.'" I cringed a little, but felt relieved that Maka didn't outright disapprove of Tsubaki joining me to spend the day together. I smiled once more and said, "Right, because I've been well known for luring pretty girls to my house only to butcher them and dump the bodies in a river." She then jabbed, "Well I wouldn't put that past you." I pressed a hand to my chest, clutching it and dramatically fell to my knees uttering a pained moan. "Oh how could you assume such a thing?! You've hurt my feelings!" She laughed and nearly spilled her wine and asked incredulously, "You have feelings?! I thought you were hollow inside." I couldn't keep a straight face and gave in to my laughter. I stood back up and tapped her glass with mine as I said, "Touche, lovely girl." She in response curtsied and said with a broad grin, "Thank you, kind sir."

We then proceeded with the remainder of the tour, where I gave her a brief glance into my bedroom, and the master bathroom that adjoined it. Just then she asked, "Would you mind waiting for me again outside?" I was puzzled, but then it dawned on me, she probably needed to pee, and so I made my way out while shutting the door. Afterward she joined me as I lead her across the hall and into my armory. She looked at the walls that held many different types of weapons. One wall was dedicated entirely to bladed weapons, another held a vast variety of firearms, and the last one was mainly pole-arms and ranged weapons. After awhile we exited that room and walked to the music room which was next door. The room had white walls on which hung framed ticket stubs, photos of myself with many musicians, autographs and various concert memorabilia. The floor was black and white tiled and made of ceramic. She saw two black sofas in the center, a drum kit in one corner, a piano sat across from it, and a vast shelf that held hundreds of CDS, vinyls, and cassette tapes stood on the southern wall. Along the eastern wall atop a small table sat a five-in-one record player and two speaker towers stood on each side of it. She walked to the corner that was adorned with multiple guitars and she saw one that certainly caught her eye. It was a satin-black electric guitar that had a skull carved into the body, and a red V encased by a red circle on the headstock. She was about to touch it, but hesitated until I said, "You can pick it up. I don't mind." She picked it up with care by the neck, carried it with her as she sat down on one of the sofas. I sat down to join her, but I then tapped on my thigh boldly beckoning her to sit upon there with the intention of giving her an introductory lesson. I wrapped my arms around her, gently placing both my hands over hers, and I masterfully guided them along the frets as I helped her strum the corresponding strings. At first she was severely overwhelmed by the proximity we shared, but she relaxed and trusted me as we started performing. Soon the silent room was filled with soft and sweet sounds resonating from the guitar, and I started singing as we both played.

"Do you breathe the name of your savior in your hour of need?  
And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed?  
Of implication, insinuation and ill will, till you cannot lie still  
In all this turmoil, before red cape and foil come closing in for a kill  
Come feed the rain. 'Cause I'm thirsty for your love. Dancing underneath the skies of lust  
Yeah feed the rain. 'Cause without your love, my life: Ain't nothing but this carnival of rust..."

Once the song ended, our eyes locked upon each others' as we vainly fought to suppress the intense blushes that coursed rampantly through our cheeks. My hands still rested atop of hers where I caressed and savored the soft, gentle texture of her skin. A very strong part of me secretly yearned to continue holding her close and bask in her sweet warmth that began to radiate into my usually frigid core. Subconsciously I also noted the intoxicating aroma that lingered from her. It smelled fragrant, like a blend of exotic flowers and honey. She was an angel in my arms, full of beauty, innocence, and docility. There was no way this day could possibly get any better, yet it seemed that the fates smiled down on me because she asked, "Could we play another song, Vlad?" I couldn't help but smile and nod like a complete doofus in utter bliss. What was initially supposed to be a simple guitar lesson would become an extended and absolutely wonderful session of music and sweet but discrete proximity. I nodded at her request, and asked, "Is there a song in particular you'd like to play?" She looked up and contemplated quietly for a bit, but shook her head and asked me to pick. We played at least ten or more songs as I sang and held her in my arms. Then she whispered a request in my ear to which I quickly obliged as I tuned my guitar accordingly, and as I started strumming she sang angelically.

"When you walk away  
You don't hear me say please  
Oh baby, don't go  
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight  
It's hard to let it go..."

As she sang I found it arduous to focus on guiding her fingers and playing. Her voice was so mesmerizing and full of dulcet passion, she not only was an angel, but a genuine muse. When that song came to an end she looked down at our hands, and suddenly an abrupt growling noise killed the silence. I looked at her and she was redder than the wine we were drinking. "Oops, I guess singing made me hungry." I chuckled at how adorable she was in her bashful disposition while scratching the back of her head. "Come on, let's take a break from our music session and go make some food." We got up and walked back to the kitchen where she then began rummaging through every nook and cranny. I stood quietly and watched her look around frantically for Death knows what, and I finally asked, "How does Chicken Caesar pasta sound? I'll help you." Tsubaki then watched me gather all the necessary ingredients and utensils. Soon we washed our hands, and worked together to craft a delicious pasta with a loaf of baked bread and the remaining wine to compliment our meal. We took our plates to the living room where we sat on the L-shaped sofa and ate while talking. "Where did you learn to cook Vlad?" I chewed on some pasta that sat favorably in my mouth before answering. "Nowhere really. I kind of learned on the fly so I wouldn't be too reliant on only TV dinners, Ramen and cheerios. Does it surprise you?" She set her silverware and her empty plate down on the coffee table. "Somewhat", she said. "No offense, but it's just, I thought most guys would think cooking to be too girly or only a woman's job." I chuckled at that and said, "I find that mindset to be ignorant. I mean, I live alone yet I know how to do my own laundry, cook and clean." Tsubaki looked up from her plate and towards me. I looked at her in return, and in that moment I sighed while harboring a nagging suspicion. "Let me guess, Black-Star leaves you to handle most, if not ALL the responsibilities, right?" She sighed and said with resignation, "Yes, and quite frankly I get really tired of it sometimes. I feel more like his mother than I do his weapon partner. Doing his laundry, cleaning his messes, cooking, always preventing and apologizing for his stupid antics takes its toll on me." I sat silently and listened to her vent with no intention of interrupting her train of thought. "What hurts is oftentimes he makes me feel unappreciated. He's more concerned about feeding his ego, that I bite my tongue and never tell him when I feel lowly about myself." I hadn't known Tsubaki for as long as Black-Star has yet I could see so many wonderful qualities in her, which made Black-Star's blindness a complete travesty in my eyes.

What happened next pained me terribly, for I watched as tears accumulated in her gorgeous eyes threatening to cascade. The dam that held them at bay broke, and I sat quietly as this wonderful and amazing woman cried in silence. I don't know what coaxed me to do what I did next, but I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arms around her and comforted her as she wept into my chest. Then her soundless lament turned into sobs which strengthened my hold on her. "Please don't cry anymore, Tsubaki," I said softly. "Tears don't suit a beautiful woman like yourself. You might not think he, nor anyone acknowledges your gifts or appreciates you, but I certainly do." Dismally my words didn't soothe her woe because she only cried harder soaking my shirt as she choked through sobs. "B-but I can't help it!" she whined. "I've h-had to be st-strong for everybody else, help them see their strengths, b-but no one cares about mine. So w-what's so g-g-good about me?" I sighed and spoke with every ounce of sincerity that I could manifest. "What's good about you? Are you kidding me?", I asked incredulously. I curled my index finger, placing it underneath her chin, placing my thumb gently on the tip and gradually lifted her chin so she could look into my eyes as I spoke. "Your gentle, nurturing and giving nature is the first of your many amazing qualities I became aware of. You don't even need to be asked and you're the first person to provide solace or advice whenever necessary. Aside from that; you have such a lovely and contagious smile that easily bewitches and captivates anyone who's fortunate to see it. You have a very soothing and caring soul wavelength which makes you very easy to approach and can tranquilize all fears. You're a formidable and reliable weapon partner, very mature and a loyal friend to us all. I personally applaud and enjoy your cooking, and I certainly would never expect you to be a maid for me. Because you're far more than that. You don't need to prove anything to anyone, and lastly: I discovered something extraordinary about you just a few moments ago in the music room. I discovered you have such a beguiling singing voice. I'm not a superstitious person, but in that room, hearing you sing made me believe angels exist. So, is that enough evidence to prove what's so good about you?" She stared at me disbelievingly as more tears flowed steadily from her eyes. At first I worried that my words had no effect on her and she was too enveloped with melancholy. Then the frown that was initially plastered on her face was replaced by the most fetching of smiles. There were no way to properly describe the elation and relief I felt in having raised her spirits and seeing her smile to this degree. My happiness only soared to higher heights when she hugged me tightly once more and when I looked down at her, she still smiled, but the tears that glided down her face were now ones of joy. I indulged myself in relishing every passing second that passed as I held her, but ruefully that came to an end.

She still smiled at me as she looked into my eyes with the remaining tears streaming down her cheeks. I took it upon myself to wipe them away tenderly with my thumbs and then I looked down at her as I cupped her face in my hands. My eyes shifted precariously lower from her eyes: down onto her alluring lips, but I feared delving towards uncharted territory. She certainly observed where my eyes ventured to, and she decided to take the initiative as her eyes fluttered, closed and she leaned closer to me. My heart began to thrash uncontrollably in my chest as I watched her draw nearer to me. My resilience completely abandoned me in those rapidly fleeing moments, and the moment of truth was at hand. Unable to oppose her approach, I closed my eyes and willingly surrendered to her lips which silently beckoned me to make contact. To say the kiss was amazing would be a blatant understatement, for it was a sweet intoxication that I greedily savored. The sensation of her tantalizing lips pressing onto mine was hot, but remarkably smooth like silk. Although it was only our lips alone that made contact: the nectar that lingered within them seeped onto mine and coursed ferociously through my body. It was unlike anything I had ever felt, it was more invigorating than any drug or potent alcohol. As our lips remained pressed together, my insides began to blissfully burn from within. If it lasted any longer; I feared my bones would melt, and my heart would burst from the overwhelming euphoria.

We broke away reluctantly after some time and we both couldn't mask how flustered we were at what just transpired. We turned our gazes away, and focused on regaining control of our erratic breathing before facing each other. Several moments passed and we looked upon one another anxiously. I then looked into her eyes and said, "You'll have to forgive me for being quite bold, but I've come to like you Tsubaki." Her blush only deepened, but she continued to make eye contact with me as she said, "I like you too Vlad. I'm glad I decided to come." I smiled and said with warmth, "I'm glad that you decided to come as well, but I can't help but wonder what are your feelings towards your Meister?" She didn't say anything for sometime, and when she did she elaborated. "I respect and do care for Black-Star. He's not only my Meister, but he's also my friend. Yet romantically speaking: I only see him like a little brother. I can't see myself falling for him even if I tried." Upon hearing with whom her revered feelings resided with, I felt a growing sense of happiness. First I felt relief knowing I wasn't imposing my budding feelings of attraction on her. It also made me content knowing that I gained her attention and didn't need to concern myself with her abruptly falling for her Meister Partner. Regardless, I kept my elation bottled up while displaying a cool and composed disposition. "Very well then. Thanks for clearing things up for me." While she sat in silent contemplation I went to retrieve the bottle of wine sitting in the kitchen and returned to the living room. We spent the remainder of the day sitting, laughing, drinking wine and talking to each other. We told each other of our families, some funny stories from our pasts, and all the while we shared some very personal information about ourselves. At one point I walked behind the sofa and plucked two photographs from the mantel that sat above the fireplace.

I sat down to rejoin her while handing her the two photographs which she began to analyze. The first one she looked at was of two adults kissing with the Eiffel Tower behind them, and they were embracing each other. The woman wore a long red dress, her chocolate hair flowed in the wind and her pallid skin glowed in the moonlight. The man with her wore a black suit, had ink-black hair and stood a few inches higher than the woman who wore high-heels. While she scanned the picture I poured myself another glass and began to take leisurely sips. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her eyes full of curiosity and assuaged the looming questions regarding the photographed couple. "The couple in that photo are my parents. They were in Paris, and my dad asked a local to take pictures with his camera. Just as they were to begin the photo session; my dad proposed to her and that picture is my mom accepting the proposal. If you look a little closer you can see tears flowing down her face." She scanned it over more meticulously and she spotted them. She had a hand over her mouth and suppressed a croon that threatened to escape her mouth. "They look so adorable in that picture." I merely smirked and handed her the other photo for her to examine.

The next photograph was of the same two adults, yet in between them sat a young boy who smiled merrily while waving at the photographer. He had black hair, angular facial features and thick black eyebrows like his father. However his gentle, almond-shaped, charcoal eyes, long eyelashes and small mouth were traits that mirrored that of his mother. His parents sat on either side of him, once again dressed elegantly and smiled with pride while hugging the boy whose outfit mirrored his father's. As she looked at the photo, I said, "You can probably guess who these people are." This time she gasped and couldn't quell her crooning fit. "AWWWWW! Is that YOU in this picture?!" I said nothing but my intense blush was all the confirmation she needed. She laughed to my chagrin and nearly spilled wine on the floor. "Are you done making fun of me?" I asked with mock annoyance. She stifled her lingering laughter, wiped a tear from her left eye and said, "I'm not making fun of you. It's just that, well, you're so adorable not only in this picture, but also when you blush." Before I could counter or protest her statement, she pulled her phone out and insisted, "I want a copy of this picture!" Instantly I froze before lunging at her while yelling: "Absolutely not! I won't allow it!" I frantically tried to snatch the photo out of her hands while moving her phone's camera away from the picture. Yet she was a crafty opponent who wasn't afraid to play dirty. For she started fervently kicking at me while rapidly snapping pictures of the photo with her phone. One of her feet were launched upward and connected with my nether regions bringing me to my knees and wracked with pain. While kneeling on the floor hunched over caressing my damaged area, she took the opportunity to snap multiple pictures. I looked up at her and said, "You win this round, but you had better not show that picture to anyone!" She merely stuck her tongue out at me and coyly said, "Sorry, but I'm not sorry." I continued wincing in discomfort while she basked in her small victory while laughing.

Once the remainder of the pain subsided and she got her fill of laughter at my expense, I offered to lead her to the final unseen portion of the house. She accepted and we made our way towards the spiral staircase that stood in front of my library. We ascended and went through the hatch door that lead to the roof. She went up first and looked to her right and saw a fireplace gazebo. She walked along the surface and looked ahead of her where she got a marvelous view of Death City in the evening. The once chuckling sun was now snoring in the sky as it began to grow dark. She also saw the swarms of cars that zoomed both towards and away from the city. I stood next to the hatch door as I said, "It's quite peaceful up here. I like to sometimes bring my telescope and do some stargazing, light the fire pit and have bonfires, or play music up here far away from the city." She turned to me and said, "This is a wonderful house you have, Vlad. I might have to consider moving in here." I chuckled at her jest and said while shrugging, "Perhaps. I wouldn't mind." Before we could enjoy the view together, her phone started ringing once more, to my ire. She answered it and spoke in a hushed tone to whoever was contacting her. After awhile she hung up, walked over to me and said, "That was Soul, he's wondering when I'll be home." I sighed and said, "Let's get a move on then. We don't want to burden Kid and Soul with keeping Black-Star occupied." She nodded and we made our way down the staircase and back into the house. She went to use the restroom one last time before accompanying me to the car, then we got in and drove towards Death City.

It took a good twenty minutes to drive from my house all the way back to her apartment. When we finally arrived we sat in the car for awhile before we said our farewells.  
"Did you have a good time, Tsubaki?"  
"Yes I did. It was nice to get away and learn more about you. Thank you for everything, Vlad."  
"It was my pleasure. I'm glad you had a great time, and I'm relieved that I didn't bore you to death. Just promise me something will you?"  
"What is it?"  
"Don't show anyone that picture of me as a child."  
"She smirked mischievously and said, "Oh I don't know if I can keep that promise. I mean you look so cute as a kid. How could I not show others?"  
I rolled my eyes at her response while trying not to giggle. Then she leaned in and gave me yet another kiss upon my lips. It was chaste, but still very enticing and worth relishing while it lasted. When we broke apart, I got out of the car, walked to her side and opened her door to help her out. She took my hand as I helped her out, and as she stepped out I reached into the back to hand her back the platters she left behind. She thanked me one last time before bidding me goodnight and walked up the stairs to her apartment. I decided not to linger and made my way back home in order to put a bittersweet end to the day.


	16. Chapter 16

The following morning I awoke feeling well rested and content. I sat up in bed and stretched until my back and neck popped which only brightened my mood. I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost a quarter to noon. Not wanting to waste my Monday in bed being lazy; I dragged myself out of bed and lurched towards the bathroom. After a refreshing shower I walked towards the sink and started brushing my teeth with a black towel wrapped around my waist. While rinsing my mouth of toothpaste, my mirror began to glow and chime. Suddenly Stein, Marie and Lord Death were staring at me, and I looked up from the sink to see their smiling faces. "Yah! Yah! Hello Vladimir! What's up?! Good morning!" I leaped away from the sink yelping in surprise and my towel almost became undone from my abrupt action. To prevent from unintentionally flashing my onlookers, I clutched my towel and pressed it onto my body while hunching over. "You could have picked a better time to contact me! What is so urgent you couldn't wait to tell me at a better time?!" Stein merely smirked at my ire, Marie couldn't contain her imminent laughter from escaping, and Lord Death sweat dropped at my embarrassing position and muttered, "oh goodness". While turning away he mumbled something about needing to improve his timing with calling on his Meisters and their partners, Stein spoke on his behalf as I listened intently. "We called to request a more detailed report of the mission in New York from you, and also to inform you of your new assignment. Spirit stepped out sometime ago to assemble the other members of your group. Once you're fully dressed we ask that you come to the Death Room to join the others immediately. We'll be waiting." I in response made an idiotic face while saluting and speaking in a manner similar to Deputy Doofy, "Roger that!" Their image faded away and the mirror instantly returned back to normal. I wasted no more time quickly throwing on some clothes, getting in my car, and driving like a bat outta Hell towards the DWMA.

I pulled up to the school and made my way up the colossal staircase. With my hands buried in my pockets I took drags of a cigarette that hung out of my mouth. I sighed and thought to myself, _"For shit's sake! You would think that for the weary or seriously injured they'd invest on converting these stairs into a damn escalator or something!"_ Nevertheless, I reached the top and entered the academy as several students gawked at me. I paid them no mind and kept my focus on navigating through the halls towards the Death Room. However I heard hushed whispers and faint gossiping over my shoulder which certainly caught my attention.

"No way, THAT tall creepy guy?!" He's the one who put Brad and Tyler in the hospital?!"  
 _Tall and creepy, eh? Gee, I wonder who they could be referring to? (Insert eye roll and shaking of head here)_  
"Yeah all by himself. He royally kicked their asses for beating up what's his name. You know? The freak in the black dress and pink hair. Maka's friend."  
"Crona?"  
"That's it! I heard he's also a Death Scythe. Man! What were those two morons thinking picking a fight with that guy? I wouldn't want to get on his bad side."  
 _They WEREN'T thinking. Hence why I did them and the DWMA a service by beating some sense into them._  
"Me neither."

I stopped walking and turned to glare at the two gossipers and address them in a dark tone. "Well for starters: you can start by not being too obvious in your hushed whispering about the 'tall creepy guy'. And I'll reiterate what I told those two stupid apes: Whoever dares to mess with Crona or any of his friends: will be hunted down and crucified outside the city by my hand. So if either of you have brains in those skulls of yours, you'll refrain from attacking my pupils." The hallway fell eerily quiet until the tardy bell abruptly cut the silence and then I heard, "Come on Ox, let's get outta here." "Agreed. Hey! Dammit, wait for me Harvar!" I smirked and took another long drag of my smoke before resuming my trip towards the Death Room. Upon entering, I walked underneath the guillotine arches looking ahead and saw Lord Death, Spirit, Marie, Stein, and my group awaiting my arrival. I walked up the steps onto the platform and was greeted by Maka and the others first. "Hey guys, hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long."  
"Hi again, Vlad! Great to see ya! What's up?! Thanks for coming."  
"Hello again, Lord Death. So what's so urgent that it couldn't wait until I got dressed to contact me?"

Stein, Marie and the others couldn't help but snicker at my earlier predicament and I scowled at the collected group before turning again to Lord Death. "Well before we get right down to business, I would like to know how the mission in New York went? You never reported to me and I was worried something had happened." "My apologies, it went perfectly. We wiped out the entire gang that night, each weapon excluding Soul and myself collected an even 50 souls, and we rescued a group of hostages who were then returned home unharmed. No collateral damage or unnecessary casualties took place, and the owner of the establishment cooperated with us. So it was flawlessly executed." "Excellent work, Vladimir! I knew I made the right decision in appointing you as a leader for this assignment. Now then onto the real reason why I summoned all of you here." I quickly fished another smoke out from the inside pocket of my jacket, lit it and began taking drags as Lord Death cleared his throat and began to explain what our new mission involved.

"Now then, have you children ever heard of La Llorona?" Everyone gave him a blank stare indicating their complete lack of knowledge. I, on the other hand, was familiar and thus helped elaborate. "Yeah, La Llorona, also known as 'The Weeping Woman.' She's believed to be a Mexican woman who two centuries ago, in a fit of vengeful rage, drowned her children in a river after her lover scorned her and eloped with another woman. After her anger dissipated, she was overwhelmed with guilt and grief for what she'd done and drowned herself as a form of atonement. Yet she could not rest in peace, so now she allegedly wanders across the land at night aimlessly weeping and calling out for children." "You're absolutely right, Vlad. According to some daunting reports: it seems she has reappeared after being dormant all this time, and now there are disappearances and murders primarily consisting of young children that are occurring in Mexico. She lures them away from their homes or preys on those who wander out after dark only to consume the souls of her victims. Fortunately we know that all this is occurring near the Rio Grande River in the state of Tamaulipas. Witnesses claim to have seen a woman wearing a white dress and cowl wandering at night only to vanish in mist. All of the victims are slain in the same grisly manner to that of the foreboding legend." At that, everyone shuddered clearly horrified, and Soul growled through clenched teeth, "That's just sick. Who could go through with killing their own children?" I sighed and exhaled a thin cloud of smoke before answering him. "It's as the old saying goes: 'Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman.' Rage can blind people to morbid lengths that they commit the worst atrocities known to man, my friend. Regardless, these calamities cannot continue or go unpunished."

I looked to Lord Death and asked, "Do we have your permission to leave as soon as possible?" He remained silent but nodded once. With his consent I addressed everyone in my group: "Let's make preparations immediately, that way by tomorrow afternoon: we'll be on the other side in Mexico. Anybody have any questions?" Patty wasted no time in hopping up and down with her hand raised high yelling loudly, "Ooh! Ooh! Me me me! I have a question!" I was baffled at how quickly Patty could change the mood in the room from serious and ominous to silly and comical. I took one last drag of my cigarette before saying, "Alright then? What is it, Patty?" All of her enthusiasm abruptly disappeared as she looked down at her feet and fidgeted bashfully while trying to pick her words carefully. Kid sighed, looked to me, and said, "She normally does this whenever she's done something bad, or when she really wants something and doesn't know how to ask." She then leaned in and whispered in Liz's ear who then looked to me and asked on her younger sister's behalf, "Patty wanted to ask, if after the mission, we could spend some time down there to relax since we didn't get to do anything fun in New York."

Before I could answer, Maka beamed at the idea and turned to me with her hands clutched together in a pleading manner. "Yeah! Come on, Vlad! Please?! Can we stay down there for awhile?" Soon enough everyone, even boisterous, vulgar and obnoxious Ragnarok, joined in and began to bombard me with arguments and reasons for why I should seriously consider the idea. Arguments ranged from the shopping they wanted to do, to marveling at the art and symmetrical architecture, the food, the culture, and the señoritas. The last one irked Maka who wasted no time Maka Chopping Ragnarok ferociously until he melted back into Crona's back. I looked to Lord Death feeling overwhelmed and he merely put his hands out and said, "It's your decision to make, Vladimir. You're the leader, you decide what's best. I won't take part in this debate. Besides, most of these missions are taking place mainly in Europe, Asia and Africa and are already being taken care of. So unless another Kishiin Egg appears, you're free to do as you please." My right eye twitched in slight irritation, I sighed and said as patiently as I could to the others, "We'll see. But for now, I'd advise taking at least three weeks' worth of clothing just in case the mission takes a little longer than necessary. Let's agree to start packing at once and then we'll meet up at Deathbucks to form a plan for our mission, yes?" Everyone nodded in silent agreement and we all parted ways.

I drove back home and wasted no time in packing upon arrival. I hauled my black suitcase out of my closet, grabbed as much clothing as necessary and packed everything neatly inside. I also grabbed deodorant, a toothbrush, black and gray plaid swimming trunks, my green and white-striped bucket hat, and a small treasure chest looking box that sat atop my nightstand and packed those as well. Lastly, I walked into my closet, punched in a combination to a safe that sat atop a shelf, and retrieved bundles of pesos and a Ziploc bag full of coins. I then sent everyone a text message that read: [Hey everybody, be sure to bring swimwear for this trip. Just in case.] I finished packing by 2 PM, and decided to clean out my fridge and pantry so nothing went to waste in the time I'd be gone. Once all perishable items were loaded in cardboard boxes, I loaded everything into my car and drove back towards Death City. I dropped off all the food at a local food bank before heading to Deathbucks to wait for the others.

Soon enough, Maka and Soul walked in with Black-Star, Tsubaki, Crona, Kid and the Thompsons in tow. We all found a booth to sit at after we ordered 10 coffees which arrived within ten minutes. Ragnarok appeared briefly only to chug his, let out a revoltingly loud belch before returning to sleep. Everyone settled in, sipping on their coffee and looked on at me attentively as I addressed them. "Alright guys, here's the plan: tomorrow morning we'll catch a flight to McAllen, Texas. It's a city that's about twenty minutes away from the border, so we won't be too far away from our destination. We should arrive in the afternoon, we'll stop and get lunch, and then head down to the border. From there, We'll head to a city called Rio Bravo, find a hotel to leave our belongings and rest awhile until nightfall. When that happens, we'll be on patrol alongside the river and see if we can take care of the mission as soon as possible. Now here's something very important I want you all to always remember." At my last statement, they leaned in to listen to what I was about to say. "We're going to a different country, so even though you all are old and responsible enough, I still must emphasize: please don't do anything stupid to draw negative attention to yourselves. Not only for the sake of avoiding trouble with the law, but especially to not give people a bad impression of the DWMA. Aside from that, let's try to get the job done efficiently so we can try and enjoy some leisure time down there while we're at it." Just like when we first met in the library, I stood up again with my coffee raised in my right hand hovering in the center of the table. "Cheers to another successful mission and exciting trip to Mexico." Everyone joined in mimicking my gesture ecstatically shouting positive affirmations.

We paid the tab for our drinks and got up to leave. Kid, Liz and Patty left with their Meister mumbling something about making sure all the paintings and furniture in his home are absolutely symmetrical before the trip. The younger sister laughed while the other groaned. Black-Star and Tsubaki left with the latter admitting he still needed to pack as his partner sighed in annoyance at his irresponsibility. Crona walked out timidly with Ragnarok perched on his head. He pestered his Meister over whether he was seriously gonna go to Mexico wearing only that outfit while tugging at his hair. Maka stayed put after whispering something to Soul who merely shrugged and walked out with his hands buried in his pockets. She made direct eye contact with me as she asked, "Hey Vlad, can I talk to you?"


	17. Chapter 17

I nodded and sat down which she did as well, I then commenced our chat. "Alright Miss Albarn, what's on your mind? Do you have any questions regarding the mission?" Her face revealed hardly anything, but she seemed apprehensive and her tone showed she was trying to maintain her composure. "I know it's none of my business, and I shouldn't pry into others' lives, but I've been meaning to ask you something pretty important all day." I couldn't suppress my urge to sigh before addressing her, already having an idea as to what this discussion was about. I should have known that it was inevitable anyway. "No doubt this has to do with what happened yesterday afternoon. When you called Tsubaki during her visit to my home, right?"

She nodded and asked, "Is there something going on between you and Tsubaki?"

I didn't want to answer immediately, so I warily asked in reply, "What exactly did she tell you?"

She glared in response and countered sharply, "Answer my question first, Vlad. Are you two official?"

I kept a cool head despite her seemingly snappy tone. "No we're not, at least I don't think so. I mean we kissed and admitted that we like each other, but it's not certain where we stand. And even if we were, why does it interest you so much?"

"It interests me because she's my best friend and practically like my sister. I don't want her to get hurt by someone who would take advantage of her."

"Maka, I know I'm still a stranger to you and the others, but I can assure you that lying or purposely toying with a girl's feelings isn't exactly my forte. Besides, I'm aware that she's a sweet and wonderful girl, and I find myself growing fond of her. I couldn't bring myself to hurt her even if I tried."

Her frown softened only slightly, but she still remained steadfast in her attempt to pry information from me. "Alright, I believe you. So if you don't mind me asking, just how many girlfriends have you had?"

"What does that have to do with what we were originally talking about? I just said that I would never betray her by flirting with another girl." I began to feel uncomfortable and wary of the direction her line of questions was taking but I answered her albeit reluctantly, "But if you must know. I've only ever been loyal to and loved one girl."

"What happened to her?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather we not talk about it."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it's something that hurts to think about. Can we please just drop it already?"

She would not drop the subject, however, and started to badger me until I succumbed to yet another rampant volley of accusations. "Why don't you want to talk about it? Is there something you're not telling me? Did you hurt her? Did you two break up? How do I know you and her aren't still together while you're kissing and flirting with Tsubaki? I have to know because it concerns my best friend. If you have any trust in me or your friends, or if you really cared about her, you'd tell me the truth."

She succeeded in depleting my scarce patience until I snapped. "Damn it all to Hell! Alright fine. You really want to know what happened? Why I'm not with the same girl I was once utterly devoted to? It's because she's gone. No longer around. D-E-A-D, and she's been that way for four years. Fell in battle against a witch bitch, and I was too wounded and weak to save her." Maka sat silently still and looked at me with a stunned expression. I rose from my seat, ripping my shirt off in front of her as curious onlookers inside the cafe glanced in our direction. I then revealed the myriad of burns and scars that marred my neck, left arm, chest, back, my cheek and over my left eye. "These are my daily reminders of my failure to protect my Meister. As a Death Scythe, weapon-partner, friend, and lover I couldn't keep her safe. I barely sleep anymore because I'm still being plagued with nightmares. Do you have any idea what it's like to be constantly haunted by memories of the person you gave your body, mind, soul and heart to? The void left behind took a grim toll, tormenting me every hour, and nearly drove me to the brink of madness. My only solace is I rescued her soul, and avenged her death. Yet no matter how hard I've tried, I have lived with intense guilt, despair, loneliness and anger for four years. None of it will ever will go away, probably not until the day I die."

I put my shirt back on and sat down once more with my head bowed down, eyes closed, fists clenched atop the table and within my very soul I felt a brewing storm of emotions raging on. The last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of other strangers or Maka for that matter. Moments passed where neither of us said a word or moved. I took a deep breath to try and remain calm despite my raging inner turmoil and in hopes of suppressing the threatening tears from leaking out. When I finally looked up again Maka stared back and tried to keep her shock concealed. "I'm so sorry, Vlad. Please forgive me, I didn't know and shouldn't have pried. You warned me not to, and yet I've overstepped my boundaries." I said nothing in response and she spoke yet again. "I must be a horrible friend. First I accuse you of being volatile and starting fights on a whim, and now I'm upsetting you by bringing up dark things from your past." "It's alright, Maka. Don't beat yourself up over it. There are some things none of you know about me. I tend to keep secrets, yet only a small handful of people know the darkest of details, so I forgive you." "I won't pry into your personal life anymore. We can stop talking about it and drop the subject if you want, I'll understand." I contemplated accepting her proposal for a bit, but instead I decided to open up and tell her the truth. "No it's fine. I might as well be honest and tell you a bit more about her. There's no point in hiding things anymore, even amongst friends."

I pulled out my wallet to show Maka a photograph I kept. She looked down and saw a young girl smiling back at her with her hands up making a heart gesture. She had straight, silky golden hair that reached down to her shoulders and draped over her collarbones, gentle eyes that glistened like stars, and milky-white skin that glowed in the sunlight giving her an angelic appearance. Maka smiled at the picture before looking up at me and commented, "Wow! Is this her, Vlad? She's so beautiful." I nodded while taking the picture out of my wallet and flipped the picture over to show her a brief handwritten message in cursive purple ink. It read: _"To my darling Vlad, I love you so much more than books, fall and Legend of Zelda. Your Angel in Eternity, Sareena_ " Maka looked up at me and saw tears cascade down my eyes as I smiled. "Her name was Sareena Engel. Her birthday is on August 30, from a small town in Nebraska, and she was the kindest and sweetest girl I've ever known. I think you both would've gotten along greatly. We met when we were children in Death City." She stayed quiet so I asked, "I'll bet you want to hear the story as to how exactly we met, huh?" At that she nodded while smiling so I explained after wiping away my tears.

"I arrived in early August when I was 10, but I think I mentioned that to you guys already. Anyway, I was to stay with a sponsor family until I was of age to enroll in the academy. Unfortunately my parents had no idea that the family I was to stay with were abusive pricks. They had no intention of taking care of me, rather just to exploit my parents for money. I only stayed with them for a week at which point I grew sick of the beatings and not being fed. So I ran away out of necessity. I had no clothes, money or food. So I lived a bit of a delinquent lifestyle: stealing food to survive, avoiding the cops and fighting to defend myself from people who sought to hurt me. Constantly living in fear and hunger was my life for a month. Then one day in September, while wandering around the woods behind the school, we crossed paths."

 ***Flashback***

 **"Ow! Please stop! I-I'm sorry I got you guys suspended, just leave me alone! I won't tell the teachers on you anymore! I promise!" I heard a feminine voice pleading desperately somewhere to somebody in the woods. I considered ignoring it and moving along. Yet as soon as those screams turned to crying and I heard boorish laughter and sneers, I went against my better judgment and trekked towards the commotion. There I saw a girl, kneeling on the ground: her face in her hands weeping. Her blonde hair was a disheveled mess with leaves and twigs sticking from it, her school uniform torn in several places, covered in dirt, mud and leaves, her books ruined with pages torn out, and a strange, blue musical instrument lay broken in pieces on the ground in front of her. I looked over to see a group of rowdy older boys playing keep-away with her book bag, cackling like hyenas, mimicking her while hurling every insult imaginable at her and began gathering rocks to pelt her with. Just as they were about to throw them at her I made my presence known by yelling out: "Hey you stupid monkeys! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!?"**

 **The four boys stopped and all turned in my direction surprised including her. They dropped the rocks in their hands as they approached while grinning, popping their knuckles to try and intimidate me and one of them said, "Don't mind if we do. You gonna actually fight? Or are you gonna run away and cry like that baby over there?" I said nothing in reply as they surrounded me. I looked at each one and kicked one of them in the groin as hard as I could, and punched another in the nose. Both boys fell to the ground screaming and caressing their damaged areas, while another tackled me to the ground. I received a punch to my eye and cheek, but before he could hit me again, I kicked him off of me and decked him square in the nose as he scrambled to his feet. The leader of the bunch looked at me with fear that a small runt like myself could take down three of them in just a matter of minutes. He put his hand behind him and drew out a pocket knife holding it up while grinning. I'm sure he expected me to cower, but I stood my ground. What he didn't know was I had discovered my weapon changing abilities at a very young age. So when my right arm changed into a long and narrow blade, his knife slipped from his grasp as he began to tremble. I took one step towards him and he took one back. This continued until he backed up against a tree, slumped down in a sitting position and peed himself. His friends saw this and they retreated leaving him behind. His lower lip quivered and he stammered as he asked, "W-what the Hell a-are you?" I looked down at him and said, "A bully beater, and if I find out you hurt that girl ever again, I won't be so nice next time. Now leave!" I laughed as he sped away running and crying. My arm returned to normal and I grabbed a rock throwing it at him as he fled and yelled, "Who's the baby now!? Baby!"**

 **After my arm reverted back to normal, I walked towards her blue shield shaped backpack, picked it up and saw a big yellow triangle made of three smaller ones inside. I walked over and handed it to her. "I think this is yours?" She sniffled as she took it and said thanks nervously. I then offered her my hand, but she retreated like she was terrified of me. "You don't need to be scared anymore. I won't hurt you." She hesitated but then took my hand allowing me to help her up. We said nothing as we gathered her tattered textbooks, and scattered school supplies. I gave her what I collected and asked, "What's with the shied backpack anyway?" She gasped and asked incredulously, "You've never heard of _"The Legend of Zelda?"_ I shook my head and she began to enthusiastically rattle off about a beautiful princess who helps a young boy rescue the kingdom of Hyrule from an evil man named Ganondorf. I kept quiet as she continued to explain this game to me until we walked towards the broken instrument. She frowned forlornly and said, "I just got that ocarina for my birthday, and those jerks broke it." "Why were they being mean to you, anyway?" She told me that many kids at school pick on her for being a know-it-all, a tattletale and a goodie-two-shoes. I frowned and said, "That's no reason for people to be assholes." She winced before saying, "You said a bad word." I shrugged and told her, "You need to fight back next time someone is being mean. Otherwise you'll always be bullied." She shook her head and pouted again as she said, "But I don't want to be mean and hurt people. I just can't." I sighed and said, "Okay. If you can't hurt people who deserve it, then come to me, and I'll make sure no one hurts my friend again. OK?" She wasted no time in holding up her pinky finger and asked meekly, "Pinky-promise?" I couldn't help but smile as I brought my pinky towards hers and coiled it affirming my pledge.**

 **She was just about to walk away when I called out, "Wait! What's your name?!" She stopped and smiled as she said, "Sareena Engel. What's yours?" "It's a pretty name. I'm Vladimir Blutmesser." She started giggling and I asked with confusion, "What's so funny?" She replied, "You have a funny name." I laughed with her and she said, "I should hurry home or my aunt and uncle will get upset. Maybe we can play Zelda together sometime." I nodded and said, "Yeah, I'd love to." She gave me a brief hug, and a chaste kiss on my cheek before saying, "Thank you for being my hero and becoming my friend. Bye Vlad!"**

 ***End of Flashback***

"The following morning, I was found and caught by Sid and Naigus while I was sleeping. They dragged me all the way to Lord Death to explain my crimes. I told him that I was sent here by my parents because I wasn't a normal kid. He asked me to elaborate, and so I showed him I could change into a weapon. He sounded excited until he asked why I didn't have a home. I said I ran away from mean grownups who hurt me, and only stole to eat and fought to protect myself. He asked why I then attacked four boys and I told him because they were bullying a young girl. I told him the girl's name, he summoned for her, and fifteen minutes later she entered the Death Room with her uncle and aunt. She confirmed my story to him, and for that he pardoned me of all my crimes. He said I would have a supervised home where food and clothes would be provided and I was to be enrolled in classes on the conditions that I behave myself, keep good grades, and accept becoming Sareena's weapon-partner in due time. I agreed, and the rest as they say, is history."

By the time I finished recounting my story to Maka, dusk had arrived and we were the only ones left in the cafe. She had a large smile and broke the silence by saying, "Awww! That's the cutest story I've ever heard." I could feel my ears burning up, and I meekly said, "Yeah, you're not the only one. Marie had the same reaction when she first heard it." "Who else knows about you and your Meister?" "Stein, Marie, Sid, Naigus, your dad, Azusa, and Lord Death. Soul only knows a little bit, the others in our group have absolutely no idea, not even Tsubaki. You, on the other hand, know the story of how Sareena and I first met."

Not long after, the manager walked over and kindly told us we had to leave since it was closing time. We paid for our drinks and walked out of the cafe and towards my car. I offered to give her a ride home instead of letting her walk back which she graciously accepted. She got in the passenger seat and asked, "So, you really like Tsubaki, huh?" I got the car on and hummed in affirmation as I started driving towards her place. "Maka, be honest. Do you disapprove?" "Not really. I mean I can understand why you're attracted to her: she's smart, an amazing cook, kind, graceful, strong, and beautiful. I only ask that you be loyal to her and take good care of her. She deserves to be happy, and I'm putting my trust in you because I believe you can."

I had to pull over and stop the car to ask my next two questions which filled me with intolerable anxiety. I collected my wits before staring her dead in the eye and asked, "Maka, would you still feel the same despite the fact I'm a few years older, and failed to protect my Meister?" She paused to really think, yet she didn't seem all too phased. "First of all, how old are you?" "Twenty." She replied immediately, "Well she barely turned eighteen. So the age gap isn't that bad. Besides, I'm sure she'd be in good hands with someone older and more mature. As for your other question, I don't think you'd let anything happen to her. I've seen how cautious and protective you are, so I trust that you'd never hurt her or let anyone else do the same." I didn't hesitate to reply, "Never. I'd do anything to prevent any harm from coming to her." She smiled briefly but it abruptly vanished, and was replaced with a deadly glare as she said rather ominously, "If you ever make her cry, I'm going to make damn sure you regret it. You hear me?" I had half a mind to roll my eyes, but for the sake of avoiding her infamous 'Maka-Chops' gave her a salute instead and said "Crystal clear." She smiled again and said jubilantly, "Good. Glad we understand each other." I sniggered as I resumed driving towards her apartment and mumbling "Yes ma'am".

Upon arrival I dropped her off and watched her enter the apartment complex. Once she was inside I returned home and finished packing and preparing for the upcoming trip. I was excited to return to the south, but I was also nervous with the possible outcomes our mission would take. Yet what sullied my efforts to sleep the most: were rampant thoughts of Tsubaki and how I secretly yearned to feel her warmth again while savoring her intoxicating kisses once more. I hoped to be lucky enough to experience one, the other, or even both at some point, even if for a fleeting moment during our trip.


End file.
